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, January 30, 2015

Friday Friends - Local Makers - bone-appetit

Hello there Maddabling blog readers. I hope this fine Friday finds you happy and well. This weekend will see Maddabling relaxing and catching up with friends. What do you have planned? 
Today I am happy to introduce to you a new Friday Friend and local maker, meet sweet Kel-lee of bone-appetit!
Let me ask you a couple of questions today readers.
Firstly, how many of you are pet owners?
Secondly, how many of you LOVE to spoil your pets?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this blog post goes out especially for you. I can assure you, through the delish experience of our own canine companion, bone-appetit gourmet dog treats are the bomb. Our dog has quickly learnt that there are super tasty cookie treats made just for dogs inside the red polkadot bag that sits in the fridge. I assure you, these must taste pretty good it they are enough to tempt our fussy dog. Perhaps you may just have to buy some for your own pets to try! 
Dear readers, I invite you now to take a few moments to yourself and to read the Tale of bone-appetit! I promise, your pets will love you for this ♥ Have a fantastic weekend xo
The Tale of bone-appetit
Who is bone-appetit? A team of just two - CEO and the Director for Quality Control.
How and when did our handmade journey begin?  After organizing the annual RSPCA Cupcake Day fundraiser at work in 2013 my homemade dog treats received a raving review by my colleagues pooches. I was inundated for requests for more gourmet treats please.
We regularly supply our gourmet treats to cafes in Queensland and when we would attend the Renegade Handmade markets our product would sell out in a few hours.
What inspires you?  The look of intense delight and the streams of drool coming from my golden retriever's face as each time I open the fridge door.
But most importantly the feedback I receive from my Very Important Pet (VIP) clients that their dogs also illicit the same response when they sniff their personally wrapped treat pack.
What are your current sources of inspirations?  That my baked creations can bring out so much happiness (and craziness) to so many beautiful fur-babies.
I have some VIP clients in QLD whom I regularly bake for that refuse to eat store bought treats. 
What are your future plans/aspirations? To stock our gourmet treats in as many dog-friendly cafes and establishments throughout Australia.
Thus allowing bone-appetit's CEO and director for Quality Control to become mobile and setting up shop to sell our treats at all the amazing beaches around Australia...permanently Paw printsHeavy black heart
Dear readers, would you like to connect or perhaps place an order with bone-appetit? You can send a PM through facebook and keep up to date with all bone-appetit happenings on Facebook here: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/bone-appetit/ 
or you can email bone-appetit here: 
treats4dogs at hotmail dot com

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Surf's Up - Wednesday Wishes

Surfs Up...inspiration for Wednesday Wishes today....celebrating Summer on the coast in Australia, epic roadtrips and sunshine. 
Enjoy xo♥
Surf Surf Surf Vintage Large Poster from NBOutfitters
Baja California Surf Mens Combed Cotton T-Shirt from BigTexasAustralia
Surf Photography Australian Photography, Snapper Rocks Photo, 
Size A4 from RoadTripPhotoArt
Light weight, super strong, titanium ring with Surf Wave design. Cool blues of the ocean from StuartPennyJewels
Recycled Wooden Surf Wax Comb from HappyTeethSurfCombs

Friday, January 23, 2015

Friday Friends - Local Makers - Concrete Crush

Happy Long Weekend to my Australian Maddabling blog readers. Do you have any plans for the weekend? It's Triple J's Hottest 100, if the sun stays out beach time and a bbq with friends. Good times! This week it is my great pleasure to introduce two new Friday Friends and local creatives AND their brand new venture - meet Meleah and Tam of Concrete Crush.
Meleah and Tam combine their love of texture and succulents to make concrete vessels and succulent planters. So much fun colour for any space.
Without further ado, I will now hand over the blogging reigns so Meleah and Tam can share their new adventure with you all. Have the most wonderful weekend, whatever you are doing xo♥
The Concrete Crush Chronicles
Meleah Farrell Abstract Photographer and Tamara Robertson Textiles have worked together combining their love of texture, colour and plants to work on their concrete crush. We met as creative makers at local markets and just kept running into each other so our friendship formed. We recently have both been involved in establishing a Local Artist Collective, called Make A Scene Artist Collective. Through this process we have been working closely together and formed a great team..
So how did our Concrete Crush come about... Well one day Meleah mentioned the large amount of cement left over from a decking project and Tam got excited and suggested that with our powers combined, we could make some really cool concrete pots !!!
So that very next weekend we played under the trees as the sun set on Meleah's Torbay property, measuring, pouring and hands caked with wet cement...we were both in our element... and then the wait until they set... finally we cracked the first batch out of there moulds we were both hooked.. The texture, the hands on process, choosing colours and planting up with our favourite little succulents, we love it all.
We also love picking, and often together we go on the search for old and disused vessels that we can give a new life and purpose to. We turn them into centrepiece planters, some pieces we have converted are a grain sampler sieve from the CBH, vintage bakers tins, old cake tins, and some stunning wooden boxes.
We have also been making larger bowl shaped concrete crushes that when planted look like a Mini Succulent Jungle, packed full of texture and colour of as many different plants as we can fit.
The future for Concrete Crush looks grey, but don't be worried, for that's the best base to the beautiful colours that we use. We are being featured for the month of February by Kate and her store Green Couture as her local creative:
http://www.greencouture.com.au/about-gc/  
There is also a opportunity in March to learn how to make your own concrete crush pots with Tam as part of the Seasonal Creative Workshop retreat, to be hosted by Meleah and Leanne Fry. This is a day of creative workshops, good company, amazing food in the magical bush setting of Meleahs Torbay property. 
https://www.facebook.com/seasonalcreative
As our time for the Pop-Up Artist collective to close it doors (until the next project) then we will run our crush sales and product updates through our Face book page 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Aussie Handmade - Wednesday Wishes

A little snippet of Australian handmade goodness to celebrate Australia Day, enjoy xo
Echidna magnet - Aussie animal - cute fridge magnet - from onehappyleaf
Medium Knitting Tote Bag - Australian Flora from HalfBaked
Australia Day Bunting from BuntingBird
Square Embroidered Pin Cushion Australian Native Flower Pink Heath from WombatsPicnic
The Periodic Table of Beer Styles - Australian Version from LecindaWard

Friday, January 16, 2015

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Secret Jewellz

Hello there Friday! The weekend is almost very nearly here. 
The weatherman assures me it is going to be a sunshiny sort of weekend, which is something to really look forward too. 
Today it is my very great pleasure to re-introduce a Friday Friend, DUSTy Diva and Australian Maker; meet sweet Kathy of Secret Jewellz!
For that unusual piece with a vintage feel, you can't go past these creations. For example, the luscious Sea Dragon Necklace with Blue Swarovski Sapphire Crystal;
these gorgeous Art Deco Swarovski Crystal Antique Silver Heart Earrings; 
or a personalised Large Vintage Brass Locket Keepsake with a secret message ♥
Readers, I would love to share with you now The Secret Jewellz Scoop. Have a simply wonderful weekend everyone x 
The Secret Jewellz Scoop.
"Putting meaning back into jewellery, from times past to modern inspirations"

Who is Secret Jewellz? Secret Jewellz is one girl on a quest to bring inspirational and meaningful jewellery to the world, utilizing the past and bringing to life timeless keepsakes to treasure and to hold.
What has Secret Jewellz been up too? It’s been nearly two years since being featured on Fridays Friends on Maddabling blog. Thanks so much Samara for having me back.

On that occasion I had wrote I wanted to try pmc clay.  Since then I have acquired a second hand kiln and tools over a period of a year and a half to get me started. It’s been a slow process, but a worthwhile one. 
I chose pmc clay because the possibilities are endless just like I said with brass filigree stampings. Once fired pmc clay is .999 pure fine silver. Since my interest always seems to lie in the past I was very interested in wax seals. Especially seals from the Georgian, Victorian and 19th century along with new seal styles.
Each wax seal is unique just like our signature is unique.  There is much symbolism and meaning in wax seals.   The joy, hope, courage, inspiration, strength and love are but a few of the meanings behind a seal. 

This is what i would love to bring to life in the form of a piece of jewellery giving the wearer a token of meaning to last a lifetime or passed onto a family member or loved one. 

One of my favourites is two hearts tied together with a ribbon and the word forever engraved under it. \For*ev"er\-  for an endless time, for all time, eternity. I imagine letters being sent back and forth with that lovely seal all binding and a testament to true romance, love and friendship. 
I also wish to use more gemstones this year and into the future.  One particular necklace that I love at the moment is this beautiful small piece of amethyst that I’ve put inside a 1960’s steel cage on sterling silver chain.   
I still make brass filigree but I know that I will always be evolving and changing never settling on one medium but forever learning new techniques or reading up on history.  

There never seems to be enough hours in the day for all that I want to do and achieve.

Dear readers, would you like to see more? Here is how you can connect: 

Buy lovely things on Etsy here: 
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SecretJewellz
Be inspired on Flickr here: 
and on Instagram here: 
http://instagram.com/secretjewellz/