Wednesday Wishlist - Sagittarius

As a Sagittarian, I decided to dedicate my first December Wednesday Wishlist to pay homage to Sagittarian's everywhere. Sagittarius is associated with The Archer and the constellation Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a Fire Sign and the birthstones are topaz, amethyst or turquoise. The narcissus is the December birthday flower, and it means respect,modesty and faithfulness. Not only this, this flower also has a hidden message which is "you’re the only one".

The characteristics most commonly attributed to Sagittarius are charisma and knowledge and they are also well known for their fun loving sense of humor. Generally speaking the people of the Sagittarius sun sign are often honest and sincere with a moral outlook. They are also freedom loving and independent with an adventurous attitude. The Sagittarius people work well as risk takers and can be ambitious and enterprising. Sagittarius can also be intelligent and versatile with an idealistic and optimistic nature. They can also be impatient and temperamental with an intellectual air about them as they do not like being doubted. Sagittarius appreciates honesty but can be flirting and resistant to conformity. extract from http://www.universalpsychics.com.au/astrology/the-zodiac-signs/sagittarius-the-archer.html

I hope you enjoy this Wednesday Wishlist xox


Robot Centaur Horse Man Wood Statue of Sagittarius by buildersstudio


Red and Blue Topaz Cluster Wrap by shopshrew


Book Voyager Matte Print by LavennzOsy


SAGITTARIUS Zodiac Art Doll OOAK by parsnips45


FLOATING SKY.. TURQUOISE AND RECYCLED STERLING SILVER SPOON by EyemaginationRSB


Illustrology - Sagittarius 11 x 17 print by illustrology


Tabrett - a white and yellow daffodil comb by gardensofwhimsy


SAGITTARIUS Constellation Ring with Diamondlonegarnetgirl


Smile - silhouettes of whimsical bare branches, stars and a smiling moon in a teal and turquoise sky at twilight - A magical winter photograph - fine art nature print - 30x30 by Raceytay


Narcissus,Tiny Flowers in Transparent Red vase by Mycraftgarden


Zodiac Channeling Oils by The Dirty Housewife. Sagittarius-The Generous Psychic by thedirtyhousewife


Green Earth II necklace (Green Turquoise, Swarovski Crystals, Sterling Silver) by ElleBernard

Springtime Wrap Up

It's almost the end of Springtime in my part of the world. October & November on the Rainbow Coast form part of the Kambarang Season in the Noongar Seasons Calendar and traditionally is known as the season where it is Warming, rains finishing, with longer dry periods and fewer cold fronts cross the coast. The height of the wildflower season. Noongar moved towards the coast where frogs, tortoises and freshwater crayfish were caught. The Noongar, having lived in the South West for centuries, have divided the year into six distinct seasons that are even more earth sensitive than our ancestors four. If you are interested in learning some more about the local indigenous people & seasons of the Rainbow Coast, visit this site : http://www.rainbowcoast.com.au/areas/rainbowcoast/seasons.htm

I have been lucky to enjoy the beauty of our garden with our lovely day lillies

and the fruits of our labour in the vege patch.

Del from Get SPOONed and I had a successful market at the Summer Street Fair

and are stoked that lots of people will be enjoying handmade gifts this Christmas. One shopper told me that she was sending her purchase off to Scotland, another sending hers to Queensland and another to Adelaide ! Long Live the Hand Made Revolution !



and after such a busy market, hubby and I decided it would be nice to go out to dinner then we took a stroll across the footbridge to the new Entertainment Centre which looked surreal against the background of a stormy sky right on Dusk.
Markets are now over for Maddabling for this year, and it's time to get into the craziness that is the Festive Season.
Oh and we now have in our possession the divine painting "Connected" from the Art of Beauty Exhibition by Woz - it hangs in our loungeroom with pride.

Isn't it gorgeous ? The Maddabling ETSY store has reopened and I have got some brand new listings up - hope you have time to have a looksee xox

Friday Friends - Dusty Divas - caldidesign

Happy Friday lovely readers - the Summmer Street Fair is in full swing at the moment and is certainly keeping me busy. I have decided to continue on with featuring lovely local Dusty Divas in the ETSY Fashion World at present and it gives me great pleasure to introduce this weeks Friday Friend in part 25 of the Dusty Divas series - Steph from caldidesign ! I have long been a follower of caldidesign and to be honest, am quite in awe of her lovely creations.

Steph's ETSY shop announcement describes her label as "Original womens urban wear and accessories" and this is definately shown in her fantastic textural creations :
how intricate is the detail in this dress

don't you love the splash of colour in this skirt

perhaps a statement shrug in a beautiful bold hue

or add a little glamour to your working day with this divine skirt

how cute would this top look teamed with the caldidesign skirts ? Perfect for the office or play

and I must admit I have my very own piece of Caldi Design in my wardrobe - this funky hat which has become a firm favourite

Now lovely readers, I invite you to sit back and relax, and to read the wonderful story that showcases this inspirational West Australian designer.


Story behind the madness

Although I opened my etsy shop almost 2 years ago I only officially launched my label 'caldi' a couple of month back as a business. Before that I was still a fashion student here in Perth.

My roots are rather interesting I guess, as my mom is moroccan and my dad german. We spent most of my early years in Morocco before permanently settling in Germany. I think this uncommon background explains a lot about my work.

As a designer, I draw a lot of inspiration from the fabrics itself. When I go out looking for fabrics I often have no particular design in mind. Mostly the fabric 'tells' me what to do with it - I don't just see rolls and rolls of cloth I see tons of ideas and possibilities what to do with it.

I love texture, vivid colours and for some reason rarely work with prints.

Right now I am working towards my first fashion show since I left uni which is SUPER exciting! For this summer collection I work a lot with pleats, texture and plain strong colours and only a couple of prints. A main design element is how the garment is making you feel when wearing it. I never follow trends, but try to develop unique designs that I find interesting to wear. My garments often have unusual details and can be worn in various ways.

If I would have to choose a few words to describe my work I would say there's always structure, texture, contrast and a minimal element.

Often when sewing as the piece develops it will lead me to the next, that's why I see my work as always ongoing - I can't see myself making a clean cut and start a completely new collection, all my work is connected.

I sell my clothes at local markets right now and to see when people fall in love with them and take a piece home still blows me away. All my stuff is made in my little home studio (which is slowly taking over the whole apartment) by me and it feels great to create something that accompanies someones life. I often wonder how my garments are doing, what experiences they might be part of.

For the future I just plan to continue building my label. I'm already very happy right now taking the leap of working full time for my label. I hope to continue to grow, maybe find a stockist or two and take it from there.

Want to see more wonderful caldidesign creations ? You can connect at :


www.caldidesign.com

buy a piece of caldiDesign goodness for your very own at :

www.etsy.com/shop/caldidesign

become a facebook fan at :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caldi/160680957283570

Maddabling Giveaway Winner

Hi lovely readers, thank you for all of your lovely comments and for participating in the Maddabling giveaway - the giveaway has now closed.

The conditions of entry were (as per the original giveaway post) :
1a. If you are a current fan on Facebook, and leave a comment here to let me know that you are OR
1b. a follower of the Maddabling Blog and leave a comment here.

Each of these will give you one entry into the giveaway. You do not have to be a facebook fan to enter this giveaway, as per the facebook promotions guidelines http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php

2. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment & link here. This will give you one entry into the giveaway.

3. If you choose to share this on facebook and leave a comment here.

4. Tell me why you love handmade, and what handmade means to you. This will give you one entry into the giveaway.

5. Visit my ETSY store and tell me what your favourite item is and why. This will give you one entry into the giveaway.

6. And for something a little bit fun, tell me what your favourite flavour of icecream is. This will give you one entry into the giveaway.

I have tallied all of the comments left and the total came to 53.

I then employed the services of http://www.random.org/ to do the random number draw.


And the winner of the lovely goodies below is .............drum roll..............



Claire Ryder who made comment number 32 !

Congratuluations Claire - I shall be in touch shortly to sort out the details x

And thank you to everyone for your continued support - it really does mean the world to me xox

Friday Friends - Dusty Divas - RawHemline

Hello again lovely readers and welcome to the 24th edition of Friday Friends - Dusty Divas. I am frantically busy with work and finalising my market preparations for the Summer Street Fair next week. Where does the time go ?

The Dusty Diva for this week is from the same part of the world as me, give or take a few hundred km's and I am absolutely stoked to be able to showcase the stunning designs of RawHemline this week.


Holly has the most amazing whimsical feminine creations - her ETSY Shop Announcement states :
Handmade Experimental Clothing and Accessories, and Bespoke Nontraditional Wedding Pieces. I love to use Romantic and ethereal vintage and recycled fabrics that echo art movements from the 1920's, through to the '50's, and even the '80s !

I have a current obsession with girly headpieces and love love love ! these two creations

Ethereal embroidered Cuff, Head piece. Collar. Avant Garde. burlesque, Unconventional Wedding, by RawHemline on etsy


CUSTOM - Ethereal shore line Bonnet headband - by RawHemline on etsy

How amazing are the textures and colours in this ring

Vamp- Scarlett Raspberry Textile adjustable Ring- freshwater pearl. silk. vintage lace. swarovski crystals. By RawHemline on etsy

and isn't this just a gorgeous summer bolero for a special occasion

CUSTOM - Ethereal Recycled Vintage tulle Bolero - by RawHemline on etsy

This Silk Georgette top is sophisticated and raw at the same time, such a pretty colour too !

Tea Rose Silk Georgette asymmetrical ruffles top. Avant Garde, Raw Sculpture, experimental clothing, By RawHemline on etsy

I was so inspired by the story of RawHemline - it just shows that if you believe in yourself and your craft, your dreams can come true. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.

The Philosophical Fabric of RawHemline
Like so many, I was simply born an artist and didn't know any different. When I was little, I drew and painted constantly. My mother was (and is) extremely creative, and continually nurtured my gifting. She would spend hours helping me work on an art piece and taught me how to take time to examine the smallest of details and appreciate the varying- and many times unrecognised- unconventional beauty in the world.

I loved the ethereal and magical world presented in "The Dark Crystal", which quickly became my favourite movie from the time I was 8 years old, until I was a teenager.

I remember I got my mum to sew me a "Kiera dress". I remember wishing that my name was Kiera and that I had long blonde hair and wings (like the Kiera of "The Dark Crystal"). But alas, I had dark hair !

Mum made me all sorts of unusual clothing, and I even asked my Nanna- who was an exceptionally talented designer- to to make me a dress like the ladies in the black and white films had- with the big hoop skirts and elaborate layering....

Even as a teenager, I found that there was nothing in the clothing shops that I liked. I distinctly remember my mum saying to me in frustration "the clothes that you want don't exist !!". And that really impacted me. I thought, then I'll have to make them exist!

I did eventually find some really unique exciting clothing and fabrics when I started going op shopping around the time I was 14. I'd always find a special 'treasure '-and even if it wasn't a design I liked, I could look past such things as cringeworthy 80s shoulder pads and see the garments potential... I could see what it could become! Fabrics began to fascinate me- particularly vintage fabrics like lurex.

I could only handsew at that time, and I used to love the rawness of the stitching, but found it so time consuming.

To help me, a friend gave me a 1958 Singer that only did straight stitch, so I taught myself on that.

When I was 26 I made a huge queensized bed spread which took me a whole year to complete.

That was a significant piece that seemed to be a real turning point for me, and strongly set my mind towards sewing as art.
I began spending most of my time re-creating clothing and accessories from vintage fabrics, and moved away from painting altogether. The creative frenzy I fell into was invigorating. I would go to work (I was a primary school teacher at the time) and come home and sew until I went to sleep. Sometimes I would just lay down in my pile of fabrics and feel so alive.

As I wore my creations, people began to ask me where I got them from, and I explained that I made them, and was surprised when they asked me to create something for them! I never charged anything, because the pleasure of creating was all mine, and I was just so honoured that someone would want to have a piece of my art.

My entrance into the etsy world, was largely influenced by my mother- she opened a shop on etsy plumfish, after she'd done a few local art markets with Made on the Left.

I wanted my shop name to give people a definate idea about my work- that it was unapologetically and deliberately raw and often left "incomplete". So many highly esteemed paintings are loved for their sense of being "half finished" or incomplete- because the viewer gets to fill in the "gaps" in their own mind. The works are left 'open ended', allowing a certain creative freedom up to the beholder - so, in a way - the viewer completes the work/has a hand in the piece itself, which makes it very personal.

I wanted my clothing creations to give the buyer that same sense of freedom and 'open endedness'. While neat hems certainly aren't my thing at the moment, really, my desire is to create works which are not static, but somehow fluid . I desire for my pieces to translate into something that suits the particular wearer themselves...that is only in fact a 'completed work' when the buyer wears the piece themselves....they fill in the gaps and finish the piece with their own uniqueness.

Ideally, I'd love to be able to earn a living from my creations, and I one day hope to study fashion formally at tafe. But I always hope that my work remains primarily "art", rather than clothing, and that it never gets stale...maybe one day I will even embrace a neat hem !!!!

If you want to own your own fabulous piece of RawHemline or if you just want to drool some more over these fantastic creations, here's how you can connect :

you can buy RawHemline creations from ETSY - RawHemline.etsy.com

check out the RawHemline Blog at RawHemline.blogspot.com

and become a Facebook fan of RawHemline at - RawHemline on FaceBook