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 readers, welcome to another edition of Friday Friends. Roller Derby is something that has become very dear to my heart as Freshmeat skater in a developing league. And today I am super super excited to introduce to you a very special maker. Meet the truly fabulous Helen of Hellcat Clothing!
I have a pair of the Hellcat Clothing Derby Shorts, they have great cover and are designed for real size women :) They don't ride up and look fantastic on! There are a couple of other items on my Hellcat Clothing wish list and they include a super practical Nautical Anchor A-Line Roller Derby Skort,
a pair of super cute Ruffle Butt Roller Derby Shorts and
a pair of Magic Star 3/4 Length Leggings.
Readers, I invite you now to read the Hellcat Clothing Chronicle. Have the most fantastic weekend and see you all next week for a new edition of Thursday Thoughts xo♥
Hellcat Clothing Chronicle Hellcat Clothing is a clothing label run by me, Helen, otherwise know by my roller derby name GoGo Fiasco. I make colourful, crazy, and comfortable active wear and other fun
stuff.
Making clothes has been a pretty solid part of my life since my mum taught me to sew. I've always enjoyed created something unique for costume parties, festivals, anytime
I could find to dress up. It meant I could wear exactly what I had in my head, no matter how outrageous it was.
I started playing roller derby in 2008 and it wasn't long before my love of making outfits made it's way to my roller derby uniforms (or boutfits as we called them). Individuality was nurtured in this sport where you could completely be yourself and wear just about whatever you wanted.
As time went on and roller derby turned into a bit more of a serious sport, I started craving functionality. I found it really difficult to find clothes that were
comfortable, would stand up to the rough and tumble of the sport, but still meant that I could express at least a little bit of individuality. So I started making more sporty clothes.
Pretty soon friends and teammates were asking me to make their outfits too, and before I knew it I was on Etsy selling roller derby shorts all over the world. Now I make
a range of clothes for roller derby, although they are used for so many other things from circus performers to pole dancers to martial artists and wrestlers.
Etsy has been
amazing and a really important part of setting up my business. The seller community is so helpful, and Etsy shoppers love anything a little left of centre. It's also helped me gets my products seen outside of Australia, with a lot of customers in
both the United States and Europe.
My two mantras are functionality and individuality. If active wear isn't comfortable there's no point to it. But my favourite thing about creating is that every pair of shorts
is different. My pieces are custom made to the idea that exists in my customer's head, and helping that become a reality that they can wear is pretty special.
Other than full custom made designs I also have lots of pre-designed products, but I still like to let the customer have full choice of colour combos, using different fabrics
and textures to match their team colours, personality, or taste.
My day to day inspiration are the derby girls. They are such an imaginative and creative group of women, and the ideas they have for their uniforms are as varied and clever as
their roller derby names. I bounce off my customers and together we come up with all sorts of crazy things. I am also inspired by colour, texture, sparkly things, combinations of fabrics, and how visual combinations, colours and
shapes, can make you feel different things.
Readers would you like to see more? Here is how you can connect:
Hello lovely Maddabling readers, welcome to a sparkly new edition in the Friday Friends series. What sort of exciting things do you have planned for your weekend? Today it is my absolute pleasure to introduce a new Friday Friend and Australian Maker, meet dear Deepa of Tunic Botik.
The pieces created by Deepa are simply stunning. I want to share a few favourites with you now. It's no secret that I love all things owl-y and this Pink Owl Necklace is no exception! Isn't she stunning!
Now that the cooler weather is coming, this Grey Clay Floral Brooch in Burgundy would be sure to brighten any Autumn coat.
And for those who like to wear bobby pins, these divine Blue Bobby Pin are just for you! They have a touch of yesteryear about them don't they?
Readers, I now invite you to read more about the Tale of Tunic Botik. The pieces are so intricate and inspiring, I hope you enjoy her story just as much as I did. Have a wonderful weekend everyone xo
The Tale of Tunic Botik Who is Tunic Botik? I am Deepa and I love creating unique and colourful jewellery. I run a shop called Tunic Botik on Etsy. I live in Sydney with my loving husband and two wonderful kids.
How and when did your handmade journey begin?I always loved to create from my childhood. Grew up wearing colourful dresses that my mum made for me. I was on top of the world when she gave me her huge collection of embroidery designs (Thanks mum!). I used those designs in my fabric painting experiments and did make some money out of it. My first business venture..!
Tell me about your creative side, how did you get started? I got married and came to Sydney. Exciting new role as a mother was not too far away. I chose to stay at home to be with the kids and my creative journey came to life again. Lots of experiments with sewing, embroidery and painting in my free time. Finding matching jewellery for the outfits was the hardest part...I solved it by learning jewellery making and polymer clay opened a new world of colours for me. I could make jewellery in any colour that i wanted. It is so versatile with endless possibilities. Couldn't wait long to display my creations and Etsy made it possible and Tunic Botik was born.
What inspires you?
Gardens filled with colours inspires me. I enjoy working with colours. What mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite?
I work with polymer clay which is my favourite. Do you have a favourite technique?
I love working on tiny details and the applique technique excites me the most.
What kind of things do you make/create?
I create colourful jewellery pieces mostly in floral patterns. Do you have a favourite piece that you have created?
My favourite is the unicorn pendant which is filled with lots of colours.
What are your future plans,dreams,aspirations?
I am looking forward to add more new creations in my online shop thus providing lots of choices for my customers. Do you have any exhibitions or markets coming up?
I don’t do any craft shows at the moment.
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.
