DUSTy Divas, Friday Friends - Handmade by Gemmie

Hello everyone - another working week is over and the weekend is here! I am looking forward to watching the AFL finals over the weekend, trying some new recipes and catching up with some girlfriends on Sunday. Do you have anything special planned ? This week I want to introduce a brand new DUSTy Diva and fellow Aussie Etsy Seller, meet the multi-talented Gemmie of Handmade by Gemmie!  

Handmade by Gemmie is simply the sweetest shop - how could you not fall in love  with this adorable Soft Toy Fox............. 

or the equally gorgeous red Vintage Kitten Bunting? 

They say Home is where the Heart is - I confess I do adore this Soft House Toy/Cushion and the attention to detail........   

And one pick especially for all the Rockabilly Fans out there, how divine is this Black Rockabilly Bunting ? 

Time now dear readers for you to have some you time and for me to hand over the story telling reigns to Gemmie - so you can all be inspired by The Sweet Handmade by Gemmie Story! See you all on Monday for a special edition blog post about craft swaps, bush walks, home made high tea snacks and other lovely things x  

The Sweet Handmade By Gemmie Story
I have always loved doing creative things and I originally had a cupcake business. However, after adopting three gorgeous rescue kittens it was no longer possible for me to have an at-home baking business so I needed to find a new creative outlet. I always loved the decorating part of making cupcakes best, and felt that could transfer well to sewing.

Although I had been sewing since early high school, I had never really explored it too much but earlier this year since joining a craft group at work I started to really get into it! 

I started with a few small projects like baby quilts and soft toys as gifts for friends, and soon found that I loved working on different colour combinations, using different materials, and the overall design process.

So Handmade By Gemmie was born! I set up my Etsy shop in July this year starting with a range of bunting, and have since expanded to soft toys. I will soon be introducing a range of ipad covers, phone covers and fabric magnets to the shop too. 

Increasingly I am using recycled materials in my work, like vintage sheets, old clothes in retro patterns, or old crocheted doilies. I love the look and feel or repurposed materials, plus the fact that it has a much smaller impact on the environment than using all new products.

I am inspired by all kinds of things but usually I see a particular piece of material like an old tweed jacket or a floral vintage pillowcase and an idea will spring to mind, like making a cute fox!

I am attending my first market for Handmade By Gemmie in October. I'll be a stall holder at the Green Living Festival in Canberra which is on Sunday October 14, the last day of Canberra's famous Floriade Festival. 

I'm really looking forward to meeting some of my customers in person and showing off an even bigger range of my products, and chatting to people about the materials I've used.

In time, I hope to regularly attend markets as well as having my Etsy shop. At the moment I work full time as a public servant, but eventually I would love to scale that back to working three or four days a week and dedicating the rest of the week to sewing for my little shop.

Dear Maddabling readers - do you want to see more? Here is how you can connect with Handmade by Gemmie:

You can buy lovely things on Etsy here:  
http://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadebygemmie
and become a Facebook Follower here : 
http://www.facebook.com/Handmadebygemmie