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I am originally from Portland, Maine. I moved away and lived in several different cities for 10 years, but decided to move back to Maine about three years ago because I missed the city I grew up in. I am passionate about where I am from and giving back to my local community. That is one of the reasons I started this business. I ultimately hope to be able to donate a portion of my profits to local community non-profits.
During the day I am a lawyer. My work focuses in power-based personal violence and discrimination law. I love my day job, but I find it to be incredibly stressful. Around a year ago I found myself looking for a way to relax after work. I had heard of aromatherapy relaxation dough and seen a few options on Etsy, but they all contained dyes. I was looking for an all-natural alternative, so I made some of my own. I really liked the way the dough felt and the positive benefits that had on my stress level. I started creating the dough more frequently and sharing it with friends and family. I received positive feedback, so I decided I would create a website and begin sharing the dough with a larger community.
So far I have loved the experience of sharing my dough with others. The idea often makes people laugh or smile. I love the idea of bringing people simple joy. I have also really enjoyed all of the wonderful vendors and customers that I have gotten to meet at the few markets I have attended. I am so excited to grow this company and continue to share something that makes me so happy with others.
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As a child I vacationed in Maine from Massachusetts, always taking my camera with me to take vacation photos of Maine’s natural beauty. Not knowing 32 years later I would live in this wonderful state. Since 2002 I have taken time to capture some of the most beautiful places in Maine. My goal is to capture that ‘awe’ moment that nature has to offer. I am inspired by all the places I have not yet seen. My talented mom, who passed away in 2007 started her own photography business after moving to Maine. In, 2014 I decided to follow her path and started my first business Always Wonderful Memories Photography Take II. Carrying on my Mom’s passion for capturing individuals and families. When you are planning on a vacation or an event to Maine feel free to contact me, to be able to capture memories that will last a lifetime. In 2020 I decided to separate my two business and creating Flutter That Shutter for nature photography and became a member of Maine Made. My goal is to make your space beautiful! I want each photo to take you to another place and to relieve all the stress you might have had that day! So, grab your favorite drink and let’s visit the great state of Maine.
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For me, there is no greater joy than to spend time in my workshop creating fabric masterpieces. I make every fabric and ceramic piece by hand, which ensures its unique “one of a kind” quality.
I carefully select the highest quality batik fabric to create unique pieces that are as practical as they are pretty. By nature, and it’s unusual process, batik fabric is dyed in small quantities and available for a short time, so you will see designs and colors changing and evolving as new batik designs become available each season.
Each piece is an individual work of art made with the highest level of craftsmanship, and as unique as the person who chooses it.
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I had my first experience with pottery during my college years in Iowa. I majored in Art and Education and worked as a student assistant for the ceramics professor. I took a break in my school to serve 4 years in the US Army. After the years in the Army I finished my teaching degree and returned to the Army to work in their Arts and Crafts Program. I directed crafts shop in the US, Germany and Korea. My dream has always been to have my own studio and produce my line of pottery. I totally enjoy my work with clay and continually look forward to each finished piece of pottery. I do not consider myself a production potter but I do complete over 200 pieces a week. The opportunity that I have to show/sell my pottery has been a joy to me. I enjoy talking to the customer about what inspired a certain piece of pottery, I also welcome input for improvements and new pottery needed. I often do special orders for customers when they do not see what they want in my booth. I try to get to know all potters at show I attend and if I do not have what someone wants I will direct them to another potter.
I enjoy visiting established potters in my area, I often learn more in an hour than a semester in college. I am looking forward to offering classes in my studio in the future, I find a great interest in people wanting to learn.
I have waited until I retired to start my studio but often wonder what could have been if I has started right out of college.
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I am a maker to my core. I’ve been making things since I can remember. Give me an idea, describe a product you need, show me a sketch of what you’re thinking – chances are, I can figure out a way to make it. I am a perfectionist through and through when it comes to stitches, size, shape, and consistency. I strive to create unique, original designs, incorporating elements that no other rope artisans are doing. I make pieces that people can actually use – things that are beautiful, but not so beautiful that you want to set it on the shelf and never use it.
When I’m designing my pieces, I’m always trying to solve a problem – needing a basket to bring in all the green beans from the garden, needing a tote to keep all my knitting in one place and ready to grab at a moments notice, a keychain that I can loop around my wrist because I’m hauling in eight grocery bags and a toddler on my hip. I don’t like tchotchke things that collect dust, and you’re not quite sure what to do with. My pieces are designed to be used on a daily basis and to blend seamlessly into peoples’ lives and homes.
I learned to knit sitting between my great grandmother’s legs when I was six. My mother taught me to sew when I was ten. Growing up, we weren’t poor, but like most Maine families – we were one accident or medical mishap away from being in trouble monetarily. My mom sewed our clothes from scratch. From a young age, it was always engrained in me that “we can make it ourselves”. Which when you think about it, is so incredibly empowering and self sufficient – to have the ability and confidence to make something yourself, because you can.
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Two Fat Cats Bakery is committed to the honesty and legacy of scratch baking with an emphasis on American desserts and pies. We are focused on the experience of the customer and, in our food, value high-quality ingredients, time-honored baking traditions and techniques, and a humble creativity. Our goal is to modernize and bring back home-baked favorites to provide our customer with a memory of the past, but a taste sensation of the present. We do this through a love and pursuit of food history, particularly New England cooking, an openness to experimentation in all things, an adherence to high quality and, when possible, local ingredients, a respect for our customers’ advice and goodwill, and a loving determination to feed people and feed them well.
Though baking is clearly a passion for Stacy, she is also passionate about helping others, and she has never lost sight of her roots in working
for a non-profit. The bakery has donated gift cards for various community fundraisers and has conducted fundraisers for the South Portland Food Cupboard. Stacy has also worked with Maine Inside Out, a theater group for incarcerated youth at Long Creek Youth Development Center. The bakery provides cakes for teens to celebrate the completion of their sentence at the correctional facility. Stacy said it may seem like a small thing, but it’s a big deal for some of the young people, who have never had a celebration that was just for them.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic gave her some time to think about how the bakery could increase its efforts to help the community. Two Fat Cats launched a fundraiser in which $2 of each Mixed Berry Pie was be donated to charity. There were three charities that will benefit from this. One was be Maine Inside Out. Another was The Telling Room, which empowers young people through writing and sharing their voices, and another was Makeshift Coffee House, which fosters respectful conversations between people with differing opinions. As of press time, a fourth organization hadn’t been chosen.
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Accomplished painter, Helene Farrar has been honing her craft for over 20 years. Helene creates rich paintings in texture and color of the Maine Landscape that capture the light and transitions of the seasons in the ancient medium of encaustic (molten beeswax, damar resin crystal and color). She also works to create elegant custom works for the home and office.
A NY native, Farrar fell in love with encaustic following the resurgance of the medium in the 1990’s Portland gallery scene. Appealed by its capacity to build varied texture and surface quality, Farrar’s early trainer as an intaglio printmaker at the University of Maine was lit. Farrar’s paintings are noted for their incised drawn in line and bold compositions.
Farrar offers classes and private instruction at her farmhouse studio in Manchester, Maine. She also travels the state to work with school aged children as Artist In Residence and provides instruction in encaustic painting at varied art schools and New England from the Haystack School, Waterfall Arts and the International Encaustic Conference.
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Though I wasn’t born in Maine, I have had the opportunity to live here for most of my life. The beauty of the rugged Maine ocean and beaches, forest, mountains, rivers, and lakes has become part of who I am. I have always collected bits of sea glass, rocks, driftwood, all gifts of nature. My husband and I have been avid sea glass collectors since about 2009. Combing the beaches for mermaid tears (sea glass) has become a passion.
I have been making jewelry for family members and friends for years. But, in 2012 I started making and selling sea glass jewelry and crafts as a business. The sea glass that I use has been found along the beautiful coast of Maine, tumbled only in the ocean and frosted by the water, sand, and rocks along the shore. I find sea glass so beautiful because something that humans have thrown away as trash has become something beautiful because of nature.
The material that I use with the sea glass is primarily sterling silver. The procedures that I use in my jewelry making are hammered, drilling and wire wrapping. Please enjoy a bit of Maine in each piece of jewelry or craft.
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Raised with the steadfast work ethic and deep gratitude that comes from dairy farming, Amy might have spent some time away but her family heritage was quick to call her back up north. That’s where the herd with the funny-faced Jersey cow came in, and the thoughtful (though wholly unexpected) process of perfecting a line of whole milk cheeses took hold.Between visits to local dairy farms to scratch beloved cow noses, Amy is
now hard at work creating a unique mix of award winning cheeses for her Crooked Face Creamery and Up North Cheese brands. All cheeses are handcrafted with high quality whole milk, no preservatives, and limited ingredients, and often specially cold-smoked, for the creamiest, richest flavor and texture. You can use them with just about anything, from pastas and salads to sandwiches and spreads, and should do so with abandon. It’s Amy’s way of giving back—to her local farmer friends, her crooked face cows, and her community—in the very best way she knows: really, really good cheese.
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Since 1938, we have been making custom mattresses using durable, high-quality materials. From the moment you lie down on your new bed, you can feel the comfort that comes from your mattress being quilted, layered, and assembled by hand. Our goal is to give you the best mattress you’ve ever experienced at a great value — just ask our satisfied customers! We go the extra-mile to figure out exactly what you need out of your mattress before assigning it to one of our local craftsmen, who builds it with your best interest in mind. Stop by one of our four store locations (Portland, Biddeford, Portsmouth, NH or Manchester, NH) or contact us to get started. We have an unmatched warranty and 30-day comfort guarantee.
We are a family-owned and run company and so proud of our team – all committed to bringing you the highest quality in a mattress for your best night’s sleep.
Owners George and Doris Samaras live just outside Portland, in Falmouth.
