Welcome to my blog. I work full time and creating is my sanity. I like to use many different mediums and was a finalist in the Fire Mountain Beading Contest in 2008. I am a passionate blogger, and a promoter of handmade goodness.

I love : my husband, my fur kids, family, music, sunshine, creating, chocolate, handmade soaps, the DUST Team, gardening, friends, Triple J Radio and photography. Comments welcome, I hope you enjoy the adventure with me.

Please respect my copyright and that the original ©photographs and ©text published on this blog remain the property of ©Maddabling (Samara). Please do not reproduce, crop or alter my original photographs.

made with love.........................maddabling xox




proud member of the down under street team

Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday Friends - Dusty Divas - Part 29 - Topaz Turtle


Welcome lovely readers to the final edition of my Friday Friends - Dusty Diva's blog posts for the 2010 year. In my 29th edition of my Dusty Divas series, and on this New Years Eve 2010, I am very pleased to introduce the lovely Saunthra from Topaz Turtle.
Saunthra makes the most gorgeous goodies from glam resin - I have a few favourites that I would like to share with you now !
I love the design of these Chandelier resin earrings in lime green and champagne (in fact the lime and champagne reference made my mouth water)
and I love the cool ocean colours of these Handmade blue green delicate resin stacking rings that remind me so much of summer

Music has always played a rather large role in my life and I think that this blue shimmer with record circles ( the circles are film from the old 3.25 inch computer discs - how cool ! ) inside a square resin serving plate is just the bomb !

The blend of colours in this Australian Sunset chunky resin bangle are sublime and

There is something about this funky design in the Avocado green square resin ring with black swirls that really captures my attention

and I think that this Sapphire blue starfish resin bowl would make a lovely addition to the summer outdoor dining table.

Dear readers as this year ends, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to my blog followers, those who have been involved in being my featured artists each week and to each and every one of you who has left lovely comments or shared a blog post through social networking sites. This has been my first year as a Blogger and I have found it to be such a lovely rewarding experience - there is so much talent out there in the worldwide interweb. I wish you all every happiness and success for the year 2011 and hope to see you back at my blog next year. Love & Peace to you all - Happy New Year !


The Tale of Saunthra & Topaz Turtle

I joined Etsy a year ago (it’s just short a few days) and it has been an experience that has been at times wonderful, exhilarating and exhausting. I thought in this last Dusty Diva blog for the year I would share some of my highs and lows and hopefully inspire you to take a leap into the great unknown.

The biggest improvement I have seen in myself, in this last year, has been in my decision making skills. When I first started I used to agonise over each one. Now I don’t and if things don’t work out as a result, I just build a bridge and get over it.

Obviously, the first few decisions I made were to sell or not to sell, where to sell, what to offer. Selling on the internet opens up a whole new world of possibilities. You can choose to do it alone or use an online marketplace and there are a lot to choose from. Etsy, madeit.com, artfire, Big Cartel and supermarkethq are a few.

The biggest advantage they offer is that they have established themselves as sites selling handmade items or supplies. They have thousands of followers that you can leverage off. The downside is there is a fee involved in selling on these sites.

For a newbie, without the backing of fans or a well known brand, the cost is worth it. It’s difficult to drive viewers to your page, as you will no doubt find out even after signing up with one of these sites. Just imagine how much worse it could be if you were on your own.

Over the course of the year I also found myself joining social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and StumbleUpon. I used to think that these took up too much time away from crafting, designing and life in general.

The fact of the matter though is that these are places where potential customers/ publicity opportunities/ wholesale dealers hang out and you need to have a presence there. Reconnecting with old friends, colleagues and schoolmates is a pleasant and unlooked for bonus.

I also discovered a need for flexibility. Add products as and when you see fit, drop lines if you think they are not successful. Make things in different colours and sizes if asked and if you think they will be successful. If something sold once it is highly likely that it will sell again. Etsy has a monthly merchandising report and this is a good place to get ideas about colours, trends and items that might peak in that month.

As part of the reinvention process I found the need to continue learning. I keep on top off new techniques about my art, better ways to market products, opportunities for selling and how to improve my sales. I learn from books, by joining a team, taking part in forums and chat rooms, taking a class, and by looking at physical brick and mortar stores.

Another piece of advice I would give a fellow seller is to take part in markets. It is a way of connecting with your customers. Markets goers will give you instant feedback such as it doesn’t fit, I wanted a red or that your items are too expensive.

You also get a feel for how people view your product – one man described resin as ‘a kind of plastic’ to his daughter. Fair enough assessment I guess but it drove home the point that I might have to think of a way of ‘glam-ing” up resin.

Still working on that one and I would love to hear suggestions.
My final piece of advice to all readers is to love what you do as contentment and happiness will follow.

I hope I haven’t strayed from the mission for this blog and thank you for reading all the way to the end. Thank you Samara for including me in this wonderful Dusty Diva blog.

Do you fancy owning your very own piece of Topaz Turtle resin goodness ?

Check out the online stores at :

Madeit : http://www.madeit.com.au/topazturtle

Etsy : http://www.etsy.com/shop/TopazTurtle

Or connect with Topaz Turtle at

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/topazturtle

Twitter: http://twitter.com/topazturtle

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/topazturtle

Blog: http://www.topazturtlehandmade.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Wednesday Wishlist - New Years Eve - Goodbye 2010

In my last Wednesday Wishlist post for 2010, I felt I wanted to create a frivolous,fun,whimsical,feminine wishlist based around party frocks and pretty shoes and New Years Eve celebrations. I hope you love these selections and wish each and every one of you a Happy, Prosperous & Safe New Year ! Bring on 2011 - see you all next year xox


HAPPY NEW YEAR Double Banner Garland Sign by bekahjennings


Modern Marie - Rococo Inspired Blue, Rust and Pink Party Dress by blasphemina


rosebud - whimsical hair comb by whichgoose



Satin Platform Pumps by Parisxox


Pink Champagne Shea Butter Lip Gloss in Slidey Tin by CleanQueenSoapCo





BLUE RASPBERRY Eyeshadow Loose Mineral Makeup ProvidenceAndGrace



Set of 12 pink and green champagne flutes glasses stems by MattiesMenagerie


Floral Motif Venetian Masks by BridalBijou


Happy New Year, Bonne Annee, 1700s Paris Inspired Printable Cupcake Topper And Wrapper Set by PaperScissorsCake


Ornate Silver Venetian mask with brown and white feathers, Marqueza by ladyinthetower


Clear Recycled Wine Bottle Serving Tray Eco Friendly by dpholkdesigns


Champagne Hand-Crafted Soap by TallulahsSoaps


Cruelty-Free Feather Fascinator - Ivory n Mocha Silk-Free Organza - Hand Beaded Swarovski Crystals by 10eisha


Chocolatta Vanilla Lip Glaze Balm natural delicious gloss in a retro tin by http://www.etsy.com/shop/herbolution


Aubergine Salad Fairy Dress OOAK by Flutterbydaisy


Chestnut Eyeshadow Loose Mineral Makeup by ProvidenceAndGrace


Alexandra's Boudoir by Shake It Doll by vonbourbon


Modern Marie - Rococo Inspired Blue, Rust and Pink Party Dress by blasphemina

Friday, December 24, 2010

Friday Friends - Dusty Divas- Part 28 - Spincushions


Welcome lovely readers to Christmas Eve and the 28th Edition of the Friday Friends Dusty Divas series. It has been a busy week and I feel privileged as our workplace was able to donate two hampers of goods (a wonderful variety and generous contributions and not too many cans of baked beans were made by my colleagues) to the local St Vincent De Paul food bank so that those less fortunate can experience joy at Christmas. Being able to give something back to the community makes me truly thankful. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, back to my 28th Dusty Diva - this week it gives me such pleasure to introduce an exceptionally creative and colourful dusty diva - Shelley from Spincushions.

Environmentally conscious the gorgeous Shelley makes Spincushions bright, colourful felt creations which are completely hand sewn by Shelley and some of the Spincushions pin cushions are now being made with felt made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. I also noted while browsing Shelley's store that she makes the sweetest mini pincushions from recycled bottle tops ! How clever is this lovely lady ?

This red flower pot miniature bottlecap felt pincushion is completely handmade from all new materials, except the recycled and washed bottlecap used in the base.
I dearly love this felt brooch as would any chilli lover ( we have planted a chilli patch this year with a Thai Chilli, a Cayenne Chilli, a Black Pearl Chilli, a Habanero Chilli, a Birds Eye Chilli, a Jalapeno Chilli, a Hungarian Yellow Chilli, a Serrano Chilli and a Purple Tiger Chilli - can't wait for the explosion of colour)

and how hoot I mean cute is this lovely owl pincushion ?

I also love the lovely layering effect in the flower detail on this White yellow daisy hand sewn felt pincushion embroidered with french knots in the centre of the daisy - you really must check out the intricate needlework
Want to keep your pins nice and sharp ? Try this pin sharpening pincushion. Shelley says in her product description : Emery sand has been included under the blue daisy. The pin cushion is firmly filled with polyfibre fill. Sharpen your pins and needles by sticking them into the flower, or just store you pins in the outer sides.

I have been so incredibly blessed to win a chance to make a peacock pincushion from a kit that Shelley has put together, the call went out looking for two product testers. I am not too bad at following instructions and can thread a needle and I am very much looking forward to a new crafting challenge for the new year !

Dear readers, I invite you now to take a whimsical journey and to wonder at these gorgeous creations. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas,filled with love and laughter. Be kind to one another and remember that each day is a gift. Peace and Goodwill to you all xox
PS Don't forget to leave milk and cookies out for Santa and his reindeer tonight and wishing you all a joyous Christmas day, whatever you may be doing xox

The Story of Shelley & Spincushions
Hi. This is me, Shelley. I make bright, colourful and cheerful things from felt. This year, I started my etsy shop to help with my obsession creating pincushions. I think every friend, work colleague and relative of mine has been given a pincushion –I ran out of people to give them to, but couldn't stop making them, so I thought about selling them, after the encouragement of my friends.

I occasionally have a table at a local market, but living in rural Victoria, there are not many craft markets about. I stumbled across etsy and since I set up my shop in July, have enjoyed the whole experience thoroughly.

One of the first things I did was to join the DUST team. What a welcoming, friendly and supportive bunch of crafters and artisans they are! I have not only found some wonderful new friends, but I have also discovered some truly wonderful handmade things.

Our Christmas will be very different this year – a lot of handmade unique gifts to be enjoyed.

Felt is my main material of choice at the moment. I have just received a big supply of felt that is made from 100% post-consumer plastic drink bottles. I love the fact that I am creating bright and colourful, useful things out of what people have thrown away.

I will be adding a few new things to my shop items in the coming weeks. I am in the process of creating kits of a couple of my popular pincushion designs. This is something I am very excited about.

I love to create new designs all the time, but I get requests for designs I have made before. I believe making kits of these will stop me becoming bored with a design, while satisfying customers giving them what they want and the ability to put their own touches to a project.


I will also soon be making bookmarks, hair clip hangers and more brooches that could also be worn as hat pins and perhaps some crocheted items as well.
Colour inspires me.

I love to work with different colour combinations, creating things that stand out with contrasting colours, as well as blending similar tones to create more subtle designs.

I sometimes get a little creative with my embroidery, letting the needle lead the design as I go. I find French knots very therapeutic and have lost many an hour knotting away.

I have always been a crafter, trying many things over the years. I have tried candle making, paper making, embroidery, tassel making to name a few. Hand sewing has always been a strong common theme though. Now, I am really looking forward to getting a crochet hook going again. It’s been a long time since I made my baby sister a pram rug from granny squares when I was 10.

My kitchen table is my work space when I am at home, but I can usually be found with some sewing on me, ready to stitch whenever the opportunity arises. Thanks for taking the time to read all about me and my crafting fetish


Want to connect with Spincushions ?

Buy Spincushions goodies on

http://www.etsy.com/shop/spincushions
become a Facebook fan :

http://www.facebook.com/Spincushions

or follow the Spincushions twitter feed :

http://twitter.com/spincushions