I used to be put off by European sophisticates, so into their fine wine and stinky cheese and their high-falutin’ “terroir” that created it all. But now I love being a cultural bumpkin. Sure, I’m simple. I was raised thinking cheese is orange and comes in the shape of the bread. Slap it on—voilà!—cheese sandwich….

For most, Positano is simply the most romantic and chic stop on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. South of Naples, the famous coast is blessed with beaches, sunshine, and picturesque towns spilling down steep hillsides. Many who visit Positano want only to shop and lay on the beach. But the tour guide in me simply must put…

The Minoan civilization flourished in Crete and demonstrated a high level of craftsmanship. A labyrinth sheltering a minotaur, royal palaces housing a tyrannical king—for a long time, the Greek myths served as the sole explanation for the architecture. …

Strips of millimeter-thin colored paper coiled, shaped, and glued into precise and gorgeous designs by hand: This is quilling, a simple, yet ancient, art that “anyone can learn,” according to Huong Wolf, co-founder of Quilling Card in Massachusetts. In April 2022, Quilling Card earned two Guinness World Record titles: one for the most people quilling simultaneously,…

Suzanne Newman, owner of Suzanne’s Couture Millinery in New York City, firmly believes that “it is rare that someone does not look good in a hat.” If someone doesn’t look good, it is simply because “they haven’t found the right hat.” In her lovely store on 61st Street, the 75-year-old milliner custom-makes the right hats:…

In deep rural Vermont, there’s a handbuilt post-and-beam house made of boards chiseled by hand from logs hauled out of the woods by a man and a horse. Attached to the house is a carpenter’s workshop and a blacksmith’s shop. It was in these workshops that, as a child, Chelsea Miller watched her father do…

These are true statement pieces. Like the world-class performances they draw inspiration from, the exquisite jewelry, scarves, and other wares from the Shen Yun Shop each have their own story to tell. These stories are rooted not in fleeting fashion trends or stylistic whims, but in 5,000 years of divinely imparted Chinese culture. Take the…

There’s something special about getting a bespoke item made just for your body. True bespoke craftsmanship tailors to the human form, and while this kind of fashion may cost more than fast fashion, it’s sustainable, unique, and money-saving in the long run. In the small town of Baden-Baden in southwest Germany, Vickermann and Stoya, a…

According to Sally Jane Linville, the egg came first. Well, at least it does at The City Girl Farm studio in Kansas City, Missouri, where Linville has perfected what she calls “the art of chickening.” Just peeking through the window, you’ll receive a warm and whimsical welcome from a flock of beautiful, larger-than-life chicken sculptures….

The bustling streets of a prosperous town in colonial America featured a variety of homes, businesses, and shops. Many of these shops were run by craftsmen who performed every service from blowing glass to making furniture. In this colonial world, American craftsmen relied on an apprenticeship system. Boys served a master for around four or…