Friday Friends - Dusty Divas Part 5- dkshopgirl

Happy Friday to all of the lovely Maddabling readers out there - I hope your week has been wonderful and you have some fun things planned for the weekend !

It gives me great pleasure to introduce a new Friday Friend this week in Part 5 of the Dusty Diva series - meet the multi talented Deborah from dkshopgirl !
I am a little in awe of the many many talents Deborah has displayed with her beautiful creations. I wanted to share with you some of my favourites.

Are you are feeling creative ? How about an Altered art decorative canvas tile ready to be converted to whatever you wish; "wearable art (pendant) glue or sew onto a journal, card, bag, scrapbooking embilishment - ideas are endless..."

This is so sweet - I love the colours - a Shabby Chic Antique Inspired Paris Heart 3 - hang it over the end of your bed to add a little old world charm to your boudoir

you could dress up your patio with this gorgeous Shabby Chic Pink roses with green filler mosaic pot
or decorate your walls with this wonderfully rustic Original Etching on handmade paper ... Daybreak

or satisfy your shoe addiction (oops or is that just me) with this lovely Shoe Bouquet Collage - Original Mixed Media

Dear readers, I hope that you are intruiged and I invite you now to kick back with a cuppa, to read the wonderful story of Deborah & dkshopgirl.


The Diary of Deborah aka dkshopgirl

Firstly I’m so thrilled that I’ve been asked to contribute to a blog – it was a wonderful surprise and to have the chance to talk about my work is exciting. Last year I decided it was time to get back into doing a little something for me every day – and I’m loving it! We live on a remote cattle property, so if I’m not helping in the schoolroom, office or house, getting creative in my studio is where you’ll find me – usually late at night!

I started making little collages from any bits and pieces I could find. This was the perfect first project – small, simple and fun.

Things slowly progressed to decorating bags and journals, mosaic pots and the ideas just keep coming.

Due to our location, online is where I shop and Etsy is such a fantastic place to 'browse' for supplies. The more I look, the more goodies I find and am continually inspired by other people's work and stories. Getting a 'heart' from someone in New York for one of my mosaic pots can literally make my day.

I was invited to send my work to Bush Christmas in Toowoomba, Queensland in November 2010 (which is a craft fair showcasing bush artisans). That was a great opportunity for me and even better when I sold some pieces!

I recently joined the DUST team on Etsy which has been the smartest move - everyone is so friendly and helpful. I feel instantly like I’m back in the art world again and no longer so far removed. The members of DUST and Etsy keep me inspired and motivated to keep making pieces – it’s wonderfully addictive.

When my supplies arrive in the mail, I immediately want to start planning the next project. Mosaic pots are high on my agenda along with the shabby chic hearts at the moment. There’s something gratifying about making every pot or heart different and special so everyone gets a unique piece.

I get a real kick out of playing around with the tiles, fabric and vintage trims, working out exactly what will look best where and then seeing it finished. Getting back into drawing again is also a must.

At this stage, the focus is to enjoy my projects. For me art really is happiness.


Want to see more ? Here's how. Connect with dkshopgirl by :

Becoming a follower on Facebook :

http://www.facebook.com/dkshopgirl

or browse and buy (go on you know you want to) Deborah's lovely things from :

Etsy :

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dkshopgirl

Madeit :

http://www.madeit.com.au/dkshopgirl

Wednesday Wishlist - Home Is Where The Heart Is

I had to travel away from home to the Big City for work this week and am always amazed at how good it is to get home again. The first thing I notice when I step off the plane is the clean country air. This was my Wednesday Wishlist inspiration.

Home is where the heart is x


Home is where the heart is by cbrannon


Home Is Where The Heart Is Bird Ornament by TheOmegaWorkshop


Home is where the Heart is - Dreambox by saiaii


postcard: home is where your heart is by biancatschaikner


Home is Where the Heart Is - Assemblage - Vintage/Salvage Finds by NayaStudio


Home is where the Heart is by designlab443


HOME is where the heart is.. spelled out by photos by AnotherFrameofMind


Original Abstract Landscape Painting HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS by Angieclementine


Home is where the heart is...sterling silver bird house charm pendant necklace by elisa gomez jewelry


Home is where the heart is Original painting by Veronique Godbout

Stylish Blogger Award

I love Sundays. It means I have a chance to catch up on things. Like Blog Posts and Gardening. I received a Hoya Plant from a dear friend for my birthday last year and it has just come into flower - how pretty are these flowers ?

I was very honoured to recieve a blog award from Bri over at the perfectly gorgeous Petaliferous Blog - Thank you so much Bri you lovely thing ! I should mention that Bri has two lovely etsy stores - Petaliferous for unique handcrafted jewellery, a little bit whimsical, a little bit fun, a little bit different and all handmade by Bri and Willow & Elm - for Handmade Baby Toys, Nursery Art & Decor!



It has taken me a while to get to write this post but here it is at last.

The rules for accepting this award are to:

1. Thank the person that awarded you - check !

Thank you Bri - you rock !

2. List 7 things about myself - check !

* I love fresh lettuce from our garden - it has so much flavour & is really crispy



2. My favourite literary heroine of the moment is Miss Sookie Stackhouse - star of the Charlaine Harris Novels which are kind of a cross between a supernatural Mills and Boon & Being Human (tv series)


3. My favourite CD at the moment is Triple J's Hottest 100 Volume 18


4. I am fascinated by the absolute beauty of the Australian Made preserved orchid jewellery available from Orchid Treasures

5. I have just invested in a lovely pair of cherry red leather flat "Verish" Orizonte Boots for the coming winter


6. I love accessories and my latest purchase is this gorgeous scarf from Lace and Links


7. I love hand blended teas and my current favourite is the Organic Rooibis Cardamom Cacao Tea from Sage and Mage

3. Pass the award to 15 other stylish bloggers - check !

* Kelsie from My Country Home
* Luisa from dance in my garden
* Del from deliciousdesignz
* Wilma from empresswu designs
* Lindsay from faerie majikks fantasy art
* Deb from Georgica Designs
* Hannah from hannahfaerie
* Verity from joie de tea
* Tasha from jubly umph
* Grace from little arty crafty crow
* Lizet at lizet fritjers
* Laura at lunabella originals
* Diane & Karen at moobeetees
* Karen at new earth soaps
* Tess at planet treasures

4. Let those bloggers know - check !

Friday Friends - Empire of Delight - Australian Etsy Seller

Welcome my lovely readers to a new edition of Friday Friends ! Autumn is upon us in the Southern Hemisphere while Spring has Sprung in the Northern Hemisphere. I am loving the crispy mornings although it does make it a little teensy bit harder to drag myself out of my warm bed in the mornings ........

This week I am happy to introduce a fellow West Australian Artisan who specialises in making gorgeous bath and body products. I am very partial to handmade soap and buy this over commercial soap any day, the same can be said for body butters and body scrubs. Meet Jacquie
of Empire of Delight and Delight Society.

Jacquie's website tells a little of the Empire of Delight story :

Empire of Delight was born from a love of yummy scents. While studying at University in an effort to tear myself away from the computer as a digital artist I began making soaps so I could spend more time with my two daughters. Based in Byford, Western Australia we are a small bath product manufacturing company.

Empire of Delight began in early 2009 in the family kitchen where a love of soap was discovered. I spent hours and thousands of dollars mixing oils to make perfect soap blends, playing with colour and experimenting with the art of cold-process soap making. Our first foray into selling cold-processed soaps proved so popular we threw ourselves into soap making, converting the family garage into a workshop.

Business growth has mainly been through word of mouth recommendations. Customers love the nutrient-rich oils such as olive oil, Shea butter, jojoba oil and cocoa butters. We make our soap in small batches by hand. They are hand cut, wrapped, labelled and carefully stored until bought to prolong their life.

I love Jacquie's descriptions and can almost smell ( I sometimes wish you could have scratch and sniff blog posts ) these particular offerings :

1. Energy Soap. I reckon this would be worth getting out of bed for !

"A truly luxurious soap which is made with lashings of Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil and Silk. Energy soap smells of Citrus, including Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne. Energy is an exciting mix that’s perfect for spring and summer."


2. Perfect companion to the Energy Soap - Energy Body Butter

"A luxurious, thick body cream with a whipped texture that resembles buttercream frosting! Rich in tropical oils and butters, this body treat contains nourishing Jojoba oil, Shea Butter and Macadamia oil and is rich in skin loving vitamin E."


3. Exfoliating Salt Scrub :

A refreshing blend of coffee, salt and nourishing oils make this the perfect pick-me-up for tired and dry skin. Contains green tea and nettle extracts, powerful anti-oxidants with stimulating and cleansing properties.

4. Miss Behaviour - White Tea & Ginger scented soap. Yum !


5. Wilfully Wicked - Japanese Cherry Blossom scented soap with added bamboo powder giving it a delicate polishing effect. The bamboo powder is a natural extract which acts as an exfoliant on the skin. Courser than the salt bar and gentler than Secret Devilry it will smooth and polish your skin to perfection. A light Oriental and sensual scent, Wilfully Wicked is a well-rounded blend of pink Japanese cherry blossoms and fragrant mimosa flower petals, with warm base notes of vanilla, tonka bean, and oriental woods.



I hope that has tantalised your taste buds so to speak, I must admit these goodies do sound good enough to eat don't they ? Dear readers, I invite you now to sit back and indulge yourself for a short while, to read Jacquie's story.



The Deliciously Devilish Tale of Empire of Delight

There are a few things about me that are worth knowing...

1. I will always bite off more than I can chew
2. I have more ideas than I can handle
3. And sometimes those ideas come at me in the middle of the night and I can’t sleep.

I’m sure there’s more, such as I’m a busy mum of two who dreams about there being an extra five hours in every day. And I like to do things the hard way; such as going to university as a mature student and having my youngest during the crucial third year, thereby turning my final year into three.

Growing up I was one of those kids who knew they were going to do something creative as a career. If I’m not doing something arty or creative then I’m dreaming up new designs and ideas. This isn’t as cool as it seems because it means I must always be doing something or a new idea will pop into my head and then that’s one more item on the to-do list.

Right now I’ve got a packaging company, dessert/chocolate events line of business, a million drawings and paintings, two blogs and a book sitting in my head dying to be started but there is simply not enough time to even begin.

Starting a bath and body business was really easy, the ideas just jumped out of me and I discovered to my delight that I had a knack for formulations. Getting a recipe exactly right is a passion of mine. I’ll keep trying and trying new ideas until it works for me.

Bath bombs have been a particularly taxing part of the business; I applaud anyone who makes them for a living and know just how hard they’ve worked.

The best advice I can give anyone who wants to start their own creative business is to not do it alone. Get a business partner (my business partner is an accountant, he doesn’t make soaps but will do our yearly taxes), join a local artists group (Etsy teams have proven invaluable to me) or even just a sympathetic friend or husband who is willing to listen to you talk and talk and talk.

And don’t give up, ever. Disappointments and problems will throw themselves at you on a daily basis but the rewards granted to your self esteem and confidence every time you overcome a problem will be worth it, a thousand times over.

Want to see more ? You can connect with Jacquie through her

Website :

http://empireofdelight.com.au

Blog :

http://jacquieramsden.typepad.com/ramsdendesigns/

or buy her goodies at :

Etsy :

http://www.etsy.com/shop/delightsociety

or through her online store :

http://empireofdelight.com.au/shop/