Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Vendetta Designs

Welcome readers to another edition of Friday Friends. This week, Australians and New Zealanders celebrated ANZAC Day, my wonderful hubby celebrated a milestone birthday and Maddabling has been super busy getting goodies ready to take to the mothers day market next weekend.

This week is it my great pleasure to introduce the a brand new DUSTy Diva and Friday Friend - meet the simply fantabulous Jax of Vendetta Designs !

Jax creates an amazing array of jewellery - some are whimsical, some are simply cool and some are not for the faint of heart ;) I want to share some of my favourites with you now !

This piece is so unusual and very very cool, the Sterling silver extinct skull cuff  

For horror movie lovers, there is the I Heart Zombies Necklace. Personally, I do love the zombie flick Shaun of the Dead. 

Then for the urban warrior woman, embrace the bold Warrior Necklace ! I heart everything about this necklace, it is stunning !

Dear readers, I invite you to now settle in, take some YOU time and read all about the Vixen of Vendetta Designs, it is a truly inspiring tale that Jax has shared. Have a wonderful weekend everyone xo

The Vixen of Vendetta Designs

Vendetta Designs is me: Jacqueline Kinred, a Sydney based alternative metal smith and designer. I love music, fire twirling, accessories and dancing. I also play drums and think, perhaps wrongly, that I have amazing rhythm and this gives me the confidence to power my day. I’m excited by the fact I’ve turned a hobby into a business and love what I do.

Much of my range is inspired by and reflects a penchant for gothic glamour, twisted princess and rock and roll sass but also includes classic and timeless designs for those who prefer subtle intrigue. I like to think that my metalwork is feisty and cutting edge but still feminine, coy and fun.

My skull and skeleton jewellery has a playful edge as well as a macabre one and I love bringing this juxtaposition into my designs.

I hope that people take my jewellery seriously but notice my tongue’s firmly planted in my cheek! I love it when my jewellery engages the wearer and the observer and starts a conversation.

Most of my collection is made using metal smithing techniques, handmade, shaped and finished but I sprinkle throughout the range rare, one-off vintage designs that incorporate bits and pieces I reappropriate, alter or smith, collected from garage sales, auctions and second hand shops.

Personally, I love large metal plates and warrior like jewellery, cuffs, torques and chest pieces and drive everyone mad in films waiting to see who designed and made the outfits. It’s a pet peeve of mine that sometimes the jewellery, costume makers and designers are overlooked in credits and I go to great lengths trying to track this information down.

I started making jewellery at kindergarten out of coloured macaroni and have been making, remaking and de and re-constructing my own jewellery, accessories and outfits ever since. I was always fixing and mending cherished jewellery for my grandmother and her friends but what really got my business started was this ‘re-adornment’ of clothes and jewellery bought and given.

It really escalated in my teens as I’d 'fix' my jewellery and clothing with studs, chain, kilt and safety pins, adding them to jackets, jeans, skirts, handbags and boots. I'd have friends ask me to make them things and I've quite often sold items off my person when out and about. I’ve been gathering an eclectic tool collection ever since and am forever expanding my tool and skill base by learning new techniques wherever possible.

I adore the fact that everyone has treasured jewellery items that they just love , regardless of the material, whether expensive or inexpensive, that we imbibe them with memories, love and confidence and make them precious.

I like to work with all varieties of metal, glass, perspex, acrylic, resin and wood to incorporate vibrant colour and depth into my work.

Lovely readers, want to see more ? Check out these links:

connect through Facebook here : http://www.facebook.com/VendettaDesigns

buy uber cool things on Etsy here : http://www.etsy.com/shop/VendettaDesigns

and on madeit here : www.madeit.com.au/VendettaDesigns

view more of Vendetta Designs on flickr here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/vendettadesigns/

Lest we Forget - Wednesday Wishes

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand. I want to share with you an extract from a Banjo Patterson Poem "We're All Australians Now" which was "published as an open letter to the troops at The Dardanelles, 1915" source : http://allpoetry.com/poem/8485469-Were_All_Australians_Now-by-A_B__Banjo_Paterson


"Australia takes her pen in hand 
To write a line to you, 
To let you fellows understand 
How proud we are of you."


This Wednesday Wishes blog post showcases a wish for peace, and many uniquely Australian symbols, some specifically associated with the Anzacs and their past times such as Two Up, and most importantly, remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice and helped to shape the history of our wonderful country.


Lest we forget.

Peace Dove Pin made from re-cycled Bombshell from Oxfam

             The ANZAC Book - First Edition - 1916 from Cloud Trees

             Small Flower Pack - Poppies by Elsie and Grace 

Australian Biscuits and Cake Felt Play Food Set by Wombats Picnic

        OOAK Wooden Australian Rules Football Player - Essendon by Sandra Eterovic 

Two Up Set from Historic Houses Trust  

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - FireSong Creations



Welcome to Friday once again lovely readers! What a busy week it has been. I have finally got the DUST Team Awards Collage prize packaged to send out to the gorgeous Erin at Inner Earth Soaps and I received my amazing prize pack from the sweet Samone at Red Letter Studio yesterday !

This week I am very pleased to introduce a new DUSTy Diva and Friday Friend - meet Robyn from FireSong Creations !

Robyn makes beautiful things from glass. And I really do mean beautiful ! Each bead seems to hold a kaleidoscope of colour and a beautiful sparkly shine. I really do admire lamp work glass artisans as it is such a labour intensive craft. Now for my favourite bit - here are a few of my favourites... I love the earthy colours and the ocean colours and the pinks - they are all simply divine !

Dear readers, time for you to take some time out now and be captivated by all the pretty things that are are born from the FireSong Creations Creative Flame. Have a fantastic weekend xo

The FireSong Creations Creative Flame

Who is FireSong Creations ?
FireSong Creations is the name I picked for my lampworking once I had decided to sell my work. I did not want to use my real name for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that there is another glass artist locally with the same name, besides which, I wanted a name that captured the fire that shines in my creations.

In reality, I am a very down to earth, mother of two who just loves to create beautiful things.

What exactly is Lampworking?
Lampworking is the art of using the flame of a gas fuelled torch to melt rods of glass and then forming the glass into different shapes. Lampworking can be used to create beads, figurines etc.

How and When did your handmade/artistic journey begin ?
Although my conventional artistic skills like drawing are right up there with pre-schoolers (I can't draw to save my life!), I have always been crafty and I did a lot of mixed media for many years until I discovered jewellery making in 2009.

From there it was only a matter of time until I was sucked in to a lampworking class and I was soon completely hooked - so much so that, even though I have had a dedicated workshop for over a year (nicknamed Mum's playroom by my husband & kids), the end of the workshop that is put aside for my mixed media and paper craft has still not been sorted out because I spend as much time as possible in front of the torch.

What inspires you ?

Colour is probably my biggest inspiration, I love to try and replicate the colours of nature from the things around me, but I also like to mix it up a bit with the more dramatic and vibrant hues. I also listen to a lot of music while I work and while it does not give direct inspiration it definitely affects my creative moods.

What mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite ?
My early creative focus was scrapbooking and I made a lot of story pages with sequences of connected photographs, so I started with a lot of cards and papers and so on, but even back then I wanted my work to have depth and dimension, so I often ended up with three dimensional pages that could not really go in an album.

Now with my focus on lampworking, I would have to pick glass as my favourite medium - especially Double Helix silver glass (maybe that is a homage to the years I spent studying genetics at college?). Having said that, I have just started experimenting with Precious Metal Clay, so maybe that will be my favourite soon. That is what I love about the whole creative process - there is always something new to try.

What kind of things do you make/create ?

I get easily bored, so I might make several beads with a similar style or look, but never for long - I am always wanting to try something new, especially new colours. I love making stunning one off focal beads the most, but I do also make sets of smaller beads for bracelets or earrings or to complement my focal beads in a necklace.

I do make my beads up into finished jewellery, but I tend to get sidetracked at the torch sometimes and end up with a backlog of pieces to finish off. For that reason, I love it when someone buys a set of beads from me - partly because I love to see how they put their own interpretation onto the finished item, but also because it means more time for lampworking.

Do you have a favourite piece that you have made/created ?

By far the best thing I have created would be my 14 y/o twin sons, but if we are sticking to my jewellery it would be a purple/burgundy one and a quarter inch straight sided lentil bead that I made about 6 months ago and fell in love with. Several of my customers have wanted it, but it is not for sale.

The sad thing is that although I have tried several times using the same glass combinations, I have never managed to come close to replicating it. That is both frustrating and pleasing - I love the fact that even when they are made with the same glass, each piece is unique.

Dear readers, want to see some more beautiful glassy creations ?
Here is how you can connect with FireSong Creations

You can follow Fire Song Creations on Facebook here : https://www.facebook.com/FireSongCreations

or buy beautiful things on Etsy here :

http://www.etsy.com/shop/FireSongCreations

Big City Life - Wednesday Wishes

Maddabling had to travel to the city this week for work, today's Wednesday Wishes is a taste of Big City Life - enjoy x ps don't you love getting home from being away ? it is the best feeling <3

                                        Mixed Metal. New York City Skyline. Cityscape necklace by Arrok

                                 8x10 Giclee Print - Original Drawing of Girl With a City by Sail and Swan 

                   Kraken in the City Octopus Pillow Cushion Cover Hand Screen Printed by Luddite Made

                                                    Shelf city Row houses No.17 by The Oak Leaves

Don't Wait Up - City Screenprint Womens Tunic in ash gray by Black Bird Tees

Simple Sunday Pleasures - Blog Features, Hot Cross Buns and Abstract Collage

Hello lovely readers, I have a few things to share with you and hope you are all having a sweet lazy Sunday x

Firstly, the fabulous Deborah of *dkshopgirl*  is featuring Maddabling on her blog this month - yay ! Thank you Deborah - it really does mean so much to me xox - you can read all about Maddabling here : http://dkshopgirl.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/samara-of-maddabling.html

Secondly, here is how the Maddabling household spent Easter Sunday morning. Up before the sun, we packed a thermos and heated some hot cross buns, packed them in a backpack and set of for the Torndirrup National Park. We climbed Isthmus Hill (Isthmus is quite an interesting word, it means a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land-masses, it has water on both sides) and watched the sun come up over the islands along the Bald Head walk trail. Isthmus Bay and The Great Australian Bight on one side and King George Sound on the other. We didn't have Easter Eggs this year, rather an Easter Bilby each :)

and last but not least - who wants to see a sneaky peek of the collage I have been working on for Erin from Inner Earth Soaps ? Here you are - using beautiful silk papers from the talented Julie of Sesenarts on canvas to create an abstract seascape. More to come in a blog post about the DUST Team Awards soon x