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, February 25, 2015

Autumn Hues - Wednesday Wishes

Wednesday Wishes Inspiration today - Autumn Hues ♥ Enjoy x 
Autumn Leaves Kisslock Frame Clutch, the Emma Style Clutch from FA2U
Autumn Leaves Candle Holder from LoveDecoLanterns
Ring - Autumn Garden,Adjustable,Antique Gold,Glass Cabochon from PikalooShop
Set of 4 gift tags hand coloured autumn leaves sketches 
Paper Flowers Orange and Cream Autumn inspired from PulpPetals

Friday, February 20, 2015

Friday Friends - Australian Makers - Glass By GirlFriday

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: 
and keep up to date with all the GlassByGirlfriday happenings on Facebook here: 

Friday, February 13, 2015

Friday Friends - Australian Makers - Ross Hanson - Wood Sculptor

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. 

You can see more of my work at this link: 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Cupid is Stupid - Thursday Thoughts

Not everyone loves Valentines Day - this Thursday Thoughts blog post is dedicated to those who think Cupid is Stupid xo♥
Stupid cupid black and white heart, anti valentine day single girl home decor from FishesMakeWishesHome
Stupid Cupid from ElTallerdeMariana

Stupid Cupid! An 8 Person Murder Mystery Dating Show in print from EventswithPlot
Anti-Valentine Magnet Set ready for gift giving from westwildwood
Stupid Cupid Lotion Perfume Bar - Vegan and made with organic ingredients from Care2Be

Friday, February 6, 2015

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - RiverGum Jewellery

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.

My jewellery can be found in my etsy shop: 
www.RiverGumJewellery.etsy.com
I have my gallery and blog on my website:
www.rivergumjewellery.com
And you can follow what I am currently making or discovering on my Facebook page 
https://www.facebook.com/RiverGumJewellery