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.
Hello Fabulous Friday! Weekend here I come! Looking forward to some fresh air and sunshine as summertime draws to a close. Today I am super thrilled to introduce a talented Aussie maker - meet the marvellous Maxine from Glass by Girlfriday :)
If you mix humour, puns and glassy creativity you get Glass By Girlfriday :) She creates amazing things from glass. Let me share some with you...... firstly a Clown Fish!
Next some ripe and succulent glassy Cherries!
And finally these tiny beauiful Geishas! Aren't they the sweetest?
Readers, I invite you now to be inspired by The Story of Glass By GirlFriday. Happy Reading and have a fantastic weekend xo
The Story of Glass By GirlFriday
The art of Lampworking involves using a flame to handcraft glass beads, then firing them in a kiln.
"Maxine Chivers, aka Glass By Girlfriday Glass chose Girlfriday as a medium in early 2006 and after completing a beginners lampwork course, she hasn't looked back. It hasn't always been a match made in heaven... many many hours of research (ahem - forums and help
from other artists), and lots of trial and error have helped shape her style. This, combined with an offbeat sense of humour and love of cartoons have developed her unique quirky style. if you are unfamiliar with the actual process of making a bead, check out Glass By Girlfriday's youtube video, produced after a number of her customers became intrigued as to how their beads were made."
You can watch it here :
"Glass by Girlfriday has exhibited in a number of shows, including past Sydney Bead and Gem Shows, Sydney Royal Easter Show Arts Exhibitions, and has also entered various international shows."
** 1st Place Lampwork Glass Jewellery 2012 Sydney Royal Arts and Crafts
** Highly Commended Lampwork Glass Jewellery 2013 Sydney Royal Arts and Crafts
** 2nd Place Lampwork Glass Jewellery 2014 Sydney Royal Arts and Crafts
"Glass By Girlfriday has also been featured as Artist of the Month on www.beadingtimes.com and has also had an artist profile and photos published in
-The Glass Artist Studio Handbook (Cecilia Cohen - Quarry Books)
- Annual Women In Glass issue of The Flow Magazine
-various European online magazines relating to glass and lampwork."
"Her pieces sell to collectors and jewellery makers around the world, and she currently has beads and sculptural pieces in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingom, U.S.A., Canada, Hong Kong and Russia and Germany."
I've known since I was a kid that I HAD to do something crafty/ artistic. Even as a kid I wanted charcoals, paper, paints, pencils... anything arty. I gravitated towards cartooning... I have no idea why. I was inexplicably drawn to it... get it? lol
I guess I was also inexplicably drawn to glass as a medium too. Again I have no idea why. There is just something about taking the absolute raw base ingredient of glass and applying heat, trying to control a molten substance that has been in existence for thousands of years, yet knowing in the back of my head it will never be fully controlled, if that makes sense. I'm waving my hands frantically while typing this... I am so passionate about this medium and any chance I get to talk about it, I will! ;)
Favourite technique? Would have to be sculpting. Ask me to make a simple round bead and I will do almost anything to avoid doing it. Tell me to put googly eyes on something, maybe some tentacles, a goofy expression or an unexpected colour, and I'm all over it! I will often be so excited about a bead when I am making it that I get nervous shakes. That's when I know I'm on to something good. I am also a pretty big fan of dots. It may not look like it in my work, but dots are so unbelievably versatile. You can mask them, flatten them, layer them squish them together so much that they no longer look like dots. Possibilities are exciting as they are endless.
I tend to use mainly what they call 'soft' glass (soda lime glass in rod form). I have dabbled with a harder glass (borosilicate), but I have recently been playing with recycled glass. My 3rd place last year at the Easter Show was made from the gorgeous blue of a Bombay Gin bottle and painted with fine silver slip and refired. I've also repurposed some pieces of broken glass that meant something special to my customers. I have one friend who broke one of her nanna's glass plates. She didn't want to throw it out as it meant a lot to her, so I made up some beautiful simple round beads from it.
I tend not to do markets. For me they haven't worked. I have found that people sometimes don't understand the amount of hours or wastage of glass goes into perfecting a technique. I find most of my work goes overseas, and I am currently now growing my Australian market. Most people tend to do it the other way around but hey I've never really followed the rules ;)
Upcoming? You (hopefully) see my work in the Sydney Royal Arts and Crafts Exhibition this Easter. I am currently working on 2 really exciting entries.
Favourite piece? Ummm hard to say. I try to put a piece of soul into every single piece I make. I can't pick one! Although my Tenpin Bowling set would have to be amongst them. It represented a turning point for me of "well maybe it didn't win, but I now get what it is to create what you love, not what you think everyone else does"...
Other faves? My geishas will always be special, as well as the couple of wedding cake toppers I have made. To have a little piece of my art featured in someone's special day humbles me greatly.
Lovely Readers, you can buy lovely things on Etsy here:
Hello there Friday! The weekend is almost here. Happy Valentines Day to all of those who celebrate this custom. Maddabling has a little bit of long overdue socialising to do this weekend, excited to be catching up with near and dear ones. Today I am happy to introduce to you all a new Friday Friend and Australian Maker, meet Ross Hanson - Wood Sculptor Extraordinaire.
I want to share some photos of the stunning examples of the carvings that Ross has made.
I can only imagine the patience, time and intense effort that goes into creating these amazing pieces.
Dear readers, I invite you now to learn more about Ross and his wonderful craft. Have a lovely weekend everyone xo♥
The Tale of Ross Hanson, Wood Sculptor
Hello, I'm Ross. I have been carving timber bowls now for almost twenty years and in that
time have produced well in excess of 4000 individual pieces. I specialize in
native Tasmanian timbers, burls in particular.
I am still humbled by the
natural beauty of timbers such as Huon Pine, Myrtle, Eucalypt, Sassafras and
other minor species.
I pay extra attention to detail and finish. Each bowl is carved to attain
harmonious profile, shaping and undercutting that merge to fine proportionate
edges, creating a finished piece that does maximum justice to the raw
material.
All items are oiled with multiple coats (5 – 6) of Tung Oil followed by one
coat of “Liberon” Finishing Oil to achieve a hard wearing non-toxic
finish.
I was a sign writer in Queensland for many years and continued this work for a
short while after my move to Tasmania. In the meantime, I picked up a piece of
wood one day and drew on my creative instincts....so began my love affair
with Tasmanian Timbers. I enjoy creating sculptured wood pieces as well as the
burl bowls.
As this is what I enjoy, I would like to be able to make a living from
the beautiful pieces I create. I also enjoy pencil drawing and water colour painting. My work is on permanent display at The Ross Hanson Wood Gallery located at 64 Main
Street in Derby, Tasmania.
Hi lovely Maddabling readers, it's Friday yay! Maddabling has no grand plans for the weekend, perhaps it might be time to relax and potter about the place not doing anything much at all!
This week I am very pleased to introduce to you a new Friday Friend, Australian Maker and DUSTy Diva, meet the fabulous Robyn of RiverGum Jewellery.
Over the years I have become quite the connoisseur of RiverGum Jewellery pieces over the times and have several pieces in my personal collection. Want to see? I think my first piece of Rivergum was these delightful Blue mandarin swirl drop earrings.
My next was this stunning simple Coin Pearl Necklace in Sterling Silver.
I also have two beautiful bracelets, one in sterling silver with turquoise and sponge coral
and one with hand hammered links in sterling silver.
Dear readers, I invite you now to pop your feet up, perhaps make a cuppa and read the inspirational story that is The Tale of RiverGum Jewellery. Have a fantastic weekend, no matter how you choose to spend it xo♥
The Tale of RiverGum Jewellery
My name is Robyn
and I live on a 2½ acre property not far from the historic Emu Bottom homestead
in Sunbury, Victoria, Australia, with my gorgeous husband Stuart and two Jack
Russell terriers, Jack and Ellie.
We are ‘empty-nesters’, our daughter and son now adults leading their own, very exciting lives. I absolutely adore living in this semi-rural spot with its kangaroos, echidnas and birdlife despite seeing the occasional snake or nasty ant or spider.
My career path has been varied, starting off with a degree in Theology and a Diploma in Education and Pianoforte, playing piano and teaching music. These days I help my husband daily with bookkeeping, teach my piano students after school and make jewellery in between. Late last year I was thrilled to be invited by Lexi Erikson to contribute tutorials to Wubbers University, a wonderful online resource for all styles of jewellery making.
My interest in jewellery making began when my daughter left home at 18 to study
music theatre in WA. I was heavily involved in her music activities, taking her
to singing and dancing classes around Melbourne and I knew there would be a
huge hole to fill when she left.
My niece arrived from across the country with
a little box of beads and some jewellery tools. She was inspired by her friend.
I was inspired by her and I haven't looked back. There is always a challenge
and something new to learn. Last year I completed a Stone Setting course at
Northern Metropolitan Institute of Technology. It was great learning new skills
while meeting like minded people.
The name ‘RiverGum’
came about through an intersection of ideas and events – my love of
semi-precious stones created in and by the earth over many years, a beautiful
old gum tree at the front of our property that we can see from every window and
the name of the paint we were using on our pergola at the time . For me, the
name evokes a feeling of timelessness, enduring and long-lasting, the kind of
qualities I would like for my jewellery pieces.
Much of my creative
process comes while sitting peacefully in my studio with my metal and gemstones
with some soulful jazz music playing in the background. An idea starts to form,
time stops and a new creation begins. Lately I have taken to pen and paper,
drawing a design to scale and then transcribing it onto cardboard to gauge how
it will look and sit. I prefer simple pieces with easy, fluid lines. I test each piece for durability and ease of wear. If it doesn’t sit right and needs constant adjusting it goes back to the design board. I try not to look at other people’s work or be swayed by what is in fashion.
When I am not creating a new piece, I love to read and listen to music. I always have a book on the go (I average at least a book a week so I am always on the lookout for a new author) and there is always music playing in the house and studio. Gardening is also a passion. We have an indigenous garden. It has been lots of years in the making and design, battling the elements, clay and rocky soil, and the rabbits, but it is great to see it take shape.
I also love travelling with my husband, something we have been able to do since
the family have left home. Overseas or a day in the country, it doesn’t matter.
I feel so inspired and refreshed when I return.
