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

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

All is Calm - Wednesday Wishes

Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright......
I  hope your collective Christmas celebrations are all you could wish for, happiness, good health, time with loved ones. 
Merry Christmas to you all, with love from Maddabling xo
Rustic Christmas Sign Silent Night from DownInTheBoondocks
Real vintage paper christmas card Silent Night victorian carolers in snow,gold embossed,1950s unused from FrugalFairyVintage
Vintage Reuge Angel Silent Night Christmas Song Gold Metallic Music Figure from FlowerheadVintage
 Silent Night Wooden Christmas Ornament from BOARDSCROLLER
Christmas Night Light from 5thandJones

Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday Friends - Australian Makers - Vintacci

Why hello there! Is it Friday again already lovely Maddabling readers? I want you all to meet a new Friday Friend and Australian Maker, introducing the very sweet Erika of Vintacci
The Vintacci mission statement is to upcycle, recycle, embellish and create new items from recycled and new fabrics. There are so many gorgeous creations to choose from, take these for example. 

Firstly a Cream Wool knit Skirt with Hand Crochet Flowers, Leaves and Shapes; it is a fine example of upcycling. This skirt is soft, feminine and comfortable. Featuring lovely earthy brown and cream tones. This piece was created from a vintage cardigan by an Australian designer. 
Next, I choose to share this darling Cream Floral Bohemian Tapestry Bag. This is a medium sized bag, embellished with hand stitching, lace and a sparkly brooch. It's fully lined and a surefire conversation starter :) 
Lastly, perfect for summer is this Green Polka Dot Sundress. 
This Altered couture sundress has an elastic waist and a decorated cream velvet belt. Velvet ribbon has been used for the straps and the hemline is finished off with lots of lace.
Ok readers, time to settle in for some you time, make a soothing cup of tea and read The Vintacci Zine. I hope you love this story as much as I do. Have a wonderful weekend everyone xo♥
The Vintacci Zine
Who is 'Vintacci'? Vintacci is me, Erika Schacht. I am sitting in my little corner of this world where I upcycle, recycle, embellish and create sustainable ecofriendly items from recycled fabrics.
How and when did your artistic journey begin? As far back as I can remember I  have always been interested in painting and creating something. As a little girl growing up in Germany I admired my grandmother's richly embroidered table cloths. She designed and drew her own patterns before embroidering them. She had a great talent. Even today I can still smell the freshly starched and ironed linen in her house, but sadly she passed away when I was only 10 years old. Since then I had a great interest in collecting beautiful antique and vintage linen, fabrics and china. As my collection grew I slowly ran out of space to store it all and it was then that I started to use some of my collected 'stash' to create wearable art and other art pieces.
What inspires you? Beautiful linen and fabrics, paintings, nature's colours, flowers, incredibly talented people and my customers.
What kind of things do you make? As a passionate Op-shopper and Recycler I found a way of combining the two to create fashion items like clothing, bags, belts and anything that comes to mind. My other passion is painting and upcycling furniture into 'shabby chic' items. It is so rewarding to give castaways a new life for it to be enjoyed again.
What mediums do you work with? Do you have a favourite? 
Whenever I can I use ecofriendly materials like cotton, silk and linen. At the moment I use a lot of hand crochet doilies, antique and vintage table cloths, napkins and curtains. For winter design I repurpose woollen jumpers and blankets.
Do have a favourite piece that you have created? I get quite attached to the pieces I create and I find it hard to let go of them. My favourite piece was a bustier which I pieced together from lots of men's shirt collars.
What are your future plans, dreams, inspiration? I just moved from the subtropical heat of Queensland to the more moderate climate of Tasmania surrounded by beautiful gardens, an orchid, lots of wildlife and close to the beach. All this gives me a lot of inspiration and drive to take up painting again as well - my
painting has been somewhat on the backburner for the last couple of  years. Further down the track I would like to teach upcycling and wearable art. But for now would like to connect with some likeminded people in Tassie to establish new friendships.

Do you have any Exhibitions or markets coming up? On invitation I have just submitted some pieces of wearable art to a magazine in the U.S.A. After Christmas I would like to sell at some markets here in Hobart - as I enjoy contact with people.
I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. Cheers, Erika

A special note dear readers! You can see many more wonderful creations and shop to your hearts content in the Vintacci Etsy shop here

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/vintacci

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Derby Girl Stocking Stuffers - Thursday Thoughts

Derby Girl Stocking Stuffers - Thursday Thoughts xo♥
Women's Roller Derby Vest / Tank, Sorry I can't I have Derby. Retro Cartoon Design from Inkabilly
Leather Toe Guards with White Sugar Skulls from derbyvixen
Pick 3 Mini Decals from Rrrshop
Cherry Roller Derby Shorts from HellcatClothing
Roller Derby Skate Laser Cut Wood Brooch from Hungry Designs

Friday, December 12, 2014

Friday Friends, Australian Makers - FUSIONJewelryStudio

Thank goodness for Friday! Hello lovely Maddabling blog readers, I hope this post finds you well. The Festive Madness seems to be all around, life is terribly hectic at the moment! Today it is my great pleasure to introduce to you all a new Friday Friend and Australian Maker - meet the super talented Jane of FUSIONJewelryStudio
Jane makes such beautiful things. Necklaces and earrings and other lovelies.  Firstly let me share with you all the VENUS NECKLACE and a little about how it was made. "This necklace features a beautiful hand fabricated sterling silver chain with a simply elegant bar clasp, adorned with semi-translucent kyanite beads and transparent aquamarine chips with sterling silver beads to create a graduated row of Venus figures. The Venus figure is associated with the mother goddess, femininity, the power of women, a celebration of the female form. The chain is known as a loop in loop chain and is found in many examples of jewellery from antiquity and was first used by the Sumarians in 3000BC. A truly sophisticated piece, that reflects your femininity. Fabulous for your next special occasion."
Next is the SUN RAY PENDANT STATEMENT NECKLACE. "This contemporary pendant is hand forged, made from fine silver 
(.999 % silver). It is suspended on a stylish sterling silver omega chain (either 16" or 18"). The modern design is based on the beautiful patterns of the rays of the sun and the circular heart of the design represents the sun itself." Just stunning! 
Lastly, these delicate DIAMOND SHAPED EARRINGS 24 K Gold over Sterling Silver with Forget Me Not Flowers) or LOTUS BEAD EARRINGS(made from 24K gold plated sterling silver,on vermeil ear wires) would make a gorgeous stocking stuffer for someone special this Christmas! 
Dear readers, I invite you now to sit back, relax and enter into The Fusion Jewelry Studio Odyssey. Wishing each and every one of you a most wonderful weekend x♥o
The Fusion Jewelry Studio Odyssey 
CREATING MY JEWELRY ODYSSEY. I've been a creative critter since I was a kid, eternally curious, always fascinated by nature, the magic of colours and making stuff. Nothings changed really.-I'm still consumed by these things now! 
After attending Art School and being told by one of the best renowned ceramicists of the day that he could not survive on his art alone without his wife and her day job, I decided another plan of attack was in order. After all I did not have a wife! And this was at the pointy end of the course....So off I went to train to be a teacher.
I still teach visual arts at high school and a couple of Art Schools in Sydney; I do love it. The desire to make stuff seemed to be nipping at my heels, but ceramics is a messy business that needs a lot of space, so I thought I would do some silversmithing courses. I had a ball, got rather excited and tried metal etching then cloisonne enamelling. 
I then discovered the ancient art of chain making, the amazing world of gemstones and the historical story of beads-ohhh it was like being in a lollie shop! You know the feeling- where you want one of everything.
So evolved the idea of finding an outlet where I could sell the things I make, the Etsy shop became the solution. I'm so excited to be showing my creations to an audience that will appreciate the process, the final product, the visual feast that is my artwork.
My sources of inspiration include looking at the works of jewellers from the past from all over the world as well as ceramics, textiles, the decorative arts, design and the natural world.
The mediums I work in include sterling silver, copper, brass, nickel silver, enamels and ancient reworked glass, gemstones, shell and bone. I am dominated by my love of colour - just can’t help myself. When I design something I might start with an idea but generally they morph as I go along. The actual way it looks, rather than the drawing I made, determine how I fly with the idea. 
Trying new techniques is exciting, solving the problems, working out what to do are challenging and it keeps me enthralled! I’ve tried silversmithing, chainmaille, enamelling, etching, hand fabricated chain, viking knitting (sort of knitting with metal), beading and when I look at other pieces I try to work out how they were made.
The things I make are varied, probably because I’m trying different materials and techniques-this is how the name FusionJewelryStudio came about-a mixture of the ancient, the antique, the modern and the contemporary. The idea of making something using ancient methods or objects worn by someone in the distant past and being utilised to make a new piece fascinates me.
In the future I hope to continue on my creative path, design unique jewellery, learn new skills and find people who would love to adorn themselves with something I have made.
I usually exhibit at Gallery 307 in Northbridge, Sydney a couple of times a year. I have a Facebook page and my sister is coaching me with it to help with my exposure. 
You can find it here: 
https://www.facebook.com/FUSIONJewelryStudio
and another with other artworks including ceramics, jewellery and textiles I have made here:

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Hipster Christmas - Wednesday Wishes

A Wednesday Wishlist made of items found by searching handmade hipster Christmas on Etsy. Enjoy xo
Boxed Set of Holiday Cards - Hipster Reindeer witandwhistle
Christmas Stocking,Hipster Faun,Copper, White, Red from inkglitter
The Ugly Sweater Holiday Tee, Unisex from SandiLake
Merry Christmas Gift Tags from ThePaperBirdcage

Hippy Stag Christmas Tree Wall Decal from CampFireWallGraphics