Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - One Happy Leaf

Hello lovely readers - welcome to Friday ! My week has been  quite relaxing, I got some new things in my Etsy store, started a collage and have had lots of long walks with hubby and the pooch. We also did a trip to the local hardware/garden centre and purchased lots of new seedlings to plant in the vege patch. I hope your collective weeks have been inspiring and fulfilling too.

This week I want you to meet a new Friday Friend and DUSTy Diva, the very talented Anna from One Happy Leaf !

Anna is a fellow West Australian, and a relative newcomer the DUST team, her creations are just too sweet ! Also - I must tell you with nothing but admiration, that Anna sends 50% from all sales to animal charities - a cause also close to my heart, we have two "rescued" fur kids and love them dearly.One Happy Leaf specialises in eco friendly handmade jewelry for women who want something unique and special - Anna says "I love creating one of a kind jewellery for modern women."

I must say that the gorgeous bunny earrings shown at the top of this post would make a super alternative to Easter Eggs, they would be much better for the waistline and longer lasting....... Anyway, here are some of my fave picks from Anna's shops - a cute blend of eco and retro styles for you to enjoy. 



Bamboo wood earrings with poppy flowers eco friendly

Antique bronze baby owl bird necklace

Bee and flower bamboo wood stud earrings

Antique Bronze Love Heart Charm romantic earrings

Anyway dear readers, a little birdy just whispered in my ear and told me to stop talking so much and to let Anna tell you her inspirational story - time now to indulge in the Story of One Happy Leaf. Have an awesome weekend everyone - keep your eyes open, there may be some additional blog posts between now and next Wednesday ! PS I must extend a very special thank you to Anna for stepping in on very short notice to take up the offer to be featured in today's blogpost xo

The Story of One Happy Leaf

Who is One Happy Leaf?

It's me! I live in Perth, working full time and One Happy Leaf is my crafty side hobby. I try to keep all my crafty work in the one room of the house, but it usually gets spread across the lounge room, dining room, kitchen etc when I'm really feeling really creative! I sell my items on Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/onehappyleaf) and Madeit (www.madeit.com.au/onehappyleaf).

How did your artistic journey begin?

I wasn't particularly crafty as a child and it's only been a few years since I have 'tapped' into my artistic side. I started designing jewellery as I found that after working for years in a rigid government job I needed an artistic outlet to give me a chance to think outside the square and not so "black and white". I love designing my jewellery and it gives me a buzz every time I make something new. I love sharing my work with other people by selling it online through Etsy and Madeit. 

Where do you get your inspiration from ?

Some days I have excellent inspirational days where there aren't enough hours in the day to get all my work done before going to bed. Other days I struggle and I just have to accept that I can’t force myself to be creative (these days I normally work on the ‘boring stuff’ like book keeping etc). I call these days "creative block" days. Generally, I get inspiration from anything that is able to move me or impacts my day. I try to create pieces that represent moments or times during my day that have impacted me either positively or negatively. Being crafty is definitely very therapeutic.

What type of things do you create ?

I create cute hand made jewellery under the name of One Happy Leaf. I use a variety of sterling silver and bronzed charms to create unique earrings and necklaces. At the moment I am experimenting with laser cutting and bamboo and I am really happy with the pendants and earrings I have created. I love working with bamboo as it is such a versatile material that is completely renewable and environmentally sustainable.  

Do you have a favourite piece you have created ?

Yes! It's just been listed on Etsy and Madeit. Its a fabulous glass pendant with a map of Rome, Italy inside. I love this pendant as it always reminds me of my travels through Italy. I'll be sad when it is sold, but happy that someone else will get a buzz out of the pendant.

What is so special about One Happy Leaf ?

I am passionate about conscious buying, so I try to incorporate this into One Happy Leaf. I decided long ago that I was going to share my profits with those who need it more than me. Now, I donate 50% of all profits from all sales to a variety of animal charities such as the Elephant Nature Park and Free the Bears. That way my customers can buy consciously and know they are making a difference to the world. 

Readers - do you want to see more ? Here is how you can connect : 

Buy lovely things on Madeit : www.madeit.com.au/onehappyleaf 

or on Etsy : www.etsy.com/shop/onehappyleaf 

Become a Facebook follower : www.facebook.com/onehappyleaf 

or follow sweet tweets on twitter : http://twitter.com/#!/OneHappyLeaf

Vines and Wine - Wednesday Wishes

Welcome to Wednesday lovely readers ! Whilst on holidays spent in the Geographe Bay area, we ventured to the amazing Margaret River Wine region not too far from where we stayed. For those of you not familiar with the Margaret River Region, here is a little bit of information for you :

"It has been a mere 40 years since the first vines were planted in the Margaret River region and already the area is recognised as one of the world's great fine wine producers. There are some 200 vineyards in the region and 90 wineries are listed with the Augusta Margaret River Tourism Association. The first type of wine to win acclaim in the region was Cabernet Sauvignon. Today Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Semillon are also of consistently high quality and win many awards. Nowadays Margaret River boasts a growing troupe of dynamic wine makers, all of whom are surprising the wine world with their skill and innovation. A competitive yet tight fraternity, they continue to push the boundaries of modern wine development, much to the delight of connoisseurs around the world."

http://www.margaretriver.com/pages/margaret-river/

With so little time and so many premium wineries to visit, two wineries that stood out for us in terms of wonderful customer service and truly delectable wines were Howling Wolves Wines who do a luscious 2011 Moscato and a sensational White Shiraz ("an extraordinary blushed white wine produced from premium red shiraz grapes with only the most minumum of skin contact. Exotic Aromas of pineapple guava and red apple trumpets a palate of papaya guava and red berries") and then the funky Flying Fish Cove who do a fantastic 2008 Chenin Blanc ("this wine displays tropical fruit characters of peach and melon with subtle complex aromas of honey. The palate is round and mouth coating with pleasant sweetness, showing lingering fuzzy peach flavours") and a Sparkling Pinot Noir "made in the Traditionale Methode Champenoise technique".

So it made me think - what do you do with the empty bottles that result from all that indulging ? These clever Etsians have all created new lives for empty wine bottles - enjoy and cheers !

Recycled Wine Bottle Terrarium with air plant by Vintage Wix

recycled wine bottle luminarias by minoakstudios

Eco Friendly Melted Wine Bottle Tray by dpholkdesigns

Recycled Wine Bottle Soy Candles by Bare Elephant

3 Cobalt Blue Wine Bottle Wall Flower Vases by Great Bottles of Fire

Friday Friends - West Australian Etsy Artists - Suzi Homemaker

Dear Readers I hope Friday finds you well. Maddabling took a little holiday this week and has been enjoying some time in the Busselton sun, enjoying amazing food and wine, and of course the company of her wonderful husband - we have been off celebrating our 14th Wedding Anniversary !

This weeks fabulous Friday Friend is a fellow sandgroper, a West Australian Etsy Artist and seamstress extraordinaire - I am thrilled to introduce you to Jade from Suzi Homemaker!

 

I have recently featured some fab retro artisans and designers on the Maddabling Blog and Jade is no exception to this rule. Her creations, are cheeky, girly, sexy with the right mix of sassy flair - very easy to fall in love with this range, which I am sure has led to the unleashing a new wave of desperate housewives, domestic divas and hostesses with the mostess ! Here are a few stunning retro pin-up styled images of Suzi Homemaker creations just to get you started ... these sweet pics are perfect for showing off the gorgeous Suzi Homemaker wares........

Dear readers, I now extend an invitation, on behalf of Suzi Homemaker, to attend the exclusive virtual Suzi Homemaker Soiree to be held below, don't forget to bring a plate to share.... enjoy !

Your Invitation to Suzi Homemakers' Soiree 

Suzi Homemaker is your hostess with the mostess, a baking beauty and a sizzling apron queen! This domestic diva with a wild side has her finger in many pies – what with spying on the neighbours, mixing cocktails and sewing up a storm – she’s one busy lady!

Suzi came around and woke up with a headache back in 2006 – this girl needed to do something with her life! No more wild drink and glass bowl parties (well maybe some), no more boring frumpy pinnys for hostesses - Suzi was coming to the rescue. Mulling over few hair-of the-dog champagne saucers (to ward off the hangover of course!) dastardly duo Miss Suzi Homemaker and Miss JamJam took to creating the best damn apron library this side of sober, making sure the ladies of Perth looked and felt special – even while doing the dishes.

Since Miss JamJam’s foray into making the cutest hair accessories in P-town under her own label of the same name, Miss Suzi Homemaker has developed the label’s repertoire to include millinery and clothing, plus frivolous flirty hostess aprons (doubling as summer capelets) for the hussy hausfrau in everyone !

These days, Suzi gets her kicks not only from champagne, but from seeing ladies wearing the label’s creations in all kinds of settings – parties, kitchens, gigs and out in the street! Getting orders from over east or overseas tickles this hapless housewife’s travel bug…and Viva Las Vegas calls, you gotta answer! Whilst in the land of the free for the month of April 2012, SH is vying to seduce several overseas stockists. Meow! Currently getting freaky with the tiki on an island off the coast of Florida… here’s hoping Suzi has time for a few wanton holiday flings with other retailers.

Suzi’s proudest achievement to date was opening the ‘Salon de Salope’ pop-up shoppe with 8 other amazing Perth labels/entities as part of ‘Outskirts’ during the 2011 Perth Fashion Festival. The shop’s live window displays featuring some of Perth’s most gorgeous girls sure did grab attention! Crowds of people brought the footpath to a standstill outside, with the more adventurous coming inside for a peek. Stocked to the brim with glamorous hats, lingerie, aprons, bags and more, showgirls in cages and cheeky bondage and pastie/tassel twirling classes set off the whole event.

As you may have guessed, Suzi doesn’t do things by halves. Bakers, burlesque starlets, glamour nanas and more- we have everyone covered in our adorable polkadot, classic poodle and trampy leopard print pinnys (just to name a few)! Inspired by all things sweet and sassy, Suzi’s range attracts the wandering eyes of pinup and punk rock queens alike. Baby pink not your style? Try our ‘Girl in a cage’ purple leopard print aprons instead!

Suzi HQ is currently working hard on new apron designs, custom orders and a whole bunch of latex before we take off overseas, but she promises to be back…after all, there is nothing better than good-old Western Australia.

Suzi may hark from the days of typewriter ribbon and carrier pigeons, but she also loves the way so many people can now connect and share with the invention of the internets.


In the spirit of sharing, here is Suzi’s 


Recipe for Gorgeousness:
Tip: For best result, use only local ingredients.


Cake :   
Every delicious recipe starts with a luscious base, so cover those cupcakes in Kiss Me Quick


Icing :  
Whip together one part sweet and one part sassy by combining your favourite SH skirt and apron to taste (we like ‘Hounds of Hell’ mixed with ‘Baby Cakes’) as pictured. See: www.facebook.com/suzihomemaker or http://www.suzihomemakerau.etsy.com/ for variations.

Colour : 
Add a little colour from vixen express). Mix well.


Embellishments/decorations : 
Sprinkle  Miss Jam Jam liberally over the top.


Final touches : 
add a pinch of  Jessica Frankenstein

dear readers if you want to explore some more - here is a list of links for you to check out !

check out the website : http://www.suzihomemaker.com.au


read about Suzi Homemaker at this model mayhem page : http://www.modelmayhem.com/1211192

buy lovely things at the etsy store : www.suzihomemakerau.etsy.com    

or follow sweet tweets on twitter here : http://twitter.com/#!/Suzi_homemaker

DELicious Autumn DUST - Wednesday Wishes

Hello lovely readers - a special Wednesday Wishes this week, it is dedicated to a dear friend Del who had her very much HANDMADE  (this will link you to Del's blog)  Etsy store closed down,  I will not go into further detail as it would not be appropriate of me to discuss this matter on such a public forum. This Wednesday Wishes post Celebrates Earthy Autumn Tones and DUSTy Diva's from all corners of this wide brown land that is Australia - this is a HANDMADE Dust Team Feature - enjoy xo See you all on Friday for a new Friday Friend Feature !

a special ps : wishing my lovely husband a VERY HAPPY 14th Wedding Anniversary today too <3

                                      Earth Native Feather Necklace. Copper, Turquoise, Lapis  Lazuli,  Carnelian, 

                                      Apatite, Fancy Jasper, Jewelry by FullSpiral  

                                   Caramel Vanilla Coffee Soap - Handmade Cold Process by innerearthsoaps

                                                       Goddess Pin Doll - Earth Tones/Tiger's Eye by WhimsiGals

                                             Eco-friendly paper flower embellishments -  set of 8 SMALL flowers - 

                                             style 'Milly' by JamboChameleon

                            earthy woodland shades Nuno Felt Silk Wool Scarf by plumfish

Friday Friends, DUSTy Divas - Sally Anna Boutique





Welcome dear readers.  I am thoroughly enjoying the crisp Autumn mornings at the moment, how about you ? Maddabling is on holidays for the next two weeks however I still have some wonderful artists and wishlists to share with you ! 

This week it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to a DUSTy Diva, fellow DUST Team and West Australian Street Team artistan - meet Anna from Sally Anna Boutique !

Anna creates wonderful things from "yarn and sticks" which is something I have never been able to do successfully. Therefore I hold a great deal of admiration for those who can knit and crochet ! I want to share with you now some of my favourite things from Sally Anna Boutique. 


This super-cute hat would be just perfect for the cooler Autumn days don't you think ?



Winter knit hat - pink and green - hand knit in Italian wool blend - hood hat

and this delicious hand knit shawl / scarf in linen cotton in a sublime wash of colours - turquoise, tangerine tango, gold and linen 

Hand knit shawl / scarf - spring shawl in linen cotton - Pashmina with tassels in turquoise, tangerine tango , gold and linen. One of kind

and finally the stunning colour blend in this scarf is just wonderful, it reminds me of Bollywood, Saris, Sunsets and Autumn.

Hand knitted scarf  in orange, tangerine, emberglow and more- unique multicolor scarf winter fashion



Lovely readers, time to knit one purl one and read the inspiration behind these fabulous knitted creations, in The Sally Anna Boutique Knitting Pattern. Have a fantastic weekend everyone, see you Wednesday for Wednesday Wishes xo 



The Sally Anna Boutique Knitting Pattern

Who is Sally Anna Boutique ?


A fanatic knitter who is never without sticks and yarn ! I take them everywhere and knit all year round. They are my sanity, relaxation and joy !

How and when did your artistic journey begin ?


I was lucky to grow up with a mother who loved to knit and sew and she taught me the basics of both crafts. When I was about 10, she suggested we make a jumper together; I knitted one arm, and she knitted the rest. It was the beginning of a long and enduring love affair with textiles and in particular, yarn.


I sold my first hand knitted piece to a boutique here in Perth when I was 16. It was a jumper full of beads and ribbons and truly one of a kind. This introduced me to the thrill of making things by hand and selling them. 

 

After school and university I packed a backpack, as many Aussies do, but I lived out of mine for ten years. I was able to learn new crafts from the different places I lived, but always returned to knitting. During this time, I made and sold clothing, accessories (fabric and hand knits) and cheesecakes ! 


When I returned to Australia to live, I became a self-taught milliner and sold to department stores and local hatters. The last few years, I once again returned to knitting but also have a big stash of fabric waiting to be sewn up. 


What inspires you ?

Just about everything......textiles, texture and colour ! I have a constantly expanding list of ideas of things I want to make. 

What mediums do you work with ? 


I love working with yarns and like both man made and natural fibres. As long as the yarn is high quality, I enjoy using it. I mostly knit but have been improving my crochet skills over the years. I like to play around with needle size, rarely taking any notice of what is suggested and love mixing different types of yarns together in one piece, thick and thin, plain and elaborate. I also like to use one colour but several yarns with loads of textures or tear fabric into strips to create a new fabric. 

What kind of things do you make or create ?


The last few years I have been knitting scarves and shawls and other accessories such as bags, hats and gloves. Recently however, I have been making more clothing and necklaces. The necklaces have allowed me to knit and crochet flowers which I love to do. My house is also full of knitted afghans, which although very time consuming are a delight to use in winter. And...I have many knitted pears in fruit bowls !  

Do you have a favourite piece ?


My favourite piece is usually the last piece I have finished. At the moment, I love my woolly collared vest and the slouch beanies. 

What are your future plans, dreams, aspirations ?


I plan to keep expanding my range of items in my online shops to include more of what I knit and some of my fabric items. 

Dear readers - ready to update your Autumn/Winter wardrobe ? Or just to browse a little further ? Here is where you can connect with Sally Anna Boutique : 

Buy lovely things on Etsy : http://sallyannaboutique.etsy.com/

or on madeit : http://madeit.com.au/SallyAnnaBoutique

or become a follower on Facebook here : http://www.facebook.com/SallyAnnaBoutique