Friday Friends - Western Australia Street Team Etsy Sellers - Starling Bath Body Home

Dearest Maddabling readers, welcome to a new edition of Friday Friends. This week saw a once in a decade storm hit Western Australia - I am terribly grateful that my friends and loved ones were relatively unaffected by the wild wild weather. It is a stark reminder that the Winter weather really has arrived. Do you have any plans for the weekend ? Maddabling is meeting a dear friend for a belated birthday lunch but has no other plans. Perhaps if the weather clears, a coastal walk to see if any migrating whales and calves can be spotted. Oh and Maddabling will be starting the Savage Kitten 30 Day Photo Challenge too. There is still time for you to consider joining in the Photo Fun dear readers :)  This week I have a fabulous fellow Etsy Western Australia Street Team Member to introduce you to - meet the gorgeous Nadine of Starling Bath Body Home ! 

I love what Nadine stands for with her products. I have always preferred natural products made with essential oils and the wonder of natures healing properties. 
Nadine says : 
" I seriously love the whole creative process, coming up with new combination's of essential oils and fragrances, designing my labels, and making natural alternatives to over the counter medicine, available to everyone. Making people's lives more fragrant and harmonious doesn't hurt either."
Here are some favourites that I have chosen from the current range of products that Nadine has for sale. Firstly, a bourbon vanilla soy candle - "it opens with green notes of Mandarin Leaf and Orange Blossom. It's heart is a heady night-floral Orange Blossom and Bulgarian Rose and Vetiver. Dry Down has sensual notes of Sandalwood, Bourbon Vanilla, Amber, Labdanum and Tonka Bean."

Overindulged just a little ? Then these Hangover Bath Salts could be just the answer. "Treat yourself to this amazing detoxifying bath. Add 1/4 cup to a lukewarm bath, swish (get someone else to do it if you can) and slowly slide in. Put a cool towel under your neck as a pillow and one over your forehead. Let the Grapefruit, Juniper and Lavender Essential Oils make you feel partially human again."

Do you sometimes have trouble sleeping ? I know I certainly do at times. Here is a possible solution...maybe you could try the Slumber Tea or the Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy Spray or the Relax Bath Salts. Or maybe you could simply try all three !  

Time now to have a virtual pamper session readers, I really hope you are inspired by, and enjoy the Sweet Story of Starling Bath Body Home. See you all on Wednesday for the next edition of Wednesday Wishes. Stay safe and have a fabulous weekend xo   

ps get in quick, Starling Body Bath Home are having a sale on scented candles made with fragrance oils, they are being sold at wholesale prices to make way for more Aromatherapy Products !

The Sweet Story of Starling Bath Body Home 

Starling is….I’m a wife to a shockingly handsome and brooding author and musician, mother to 2 crazy and hilarious boys, owner of a schizophrenic Jack Russel (is there any other type?), Christian, Nurse, Vegetarian with the occasional Pescatarian lapse who is trying to bring nature back to all aspects of my and others’ lives. Starling products are natural, organic, chemical free ,have not been tested on animals and are handmade by me! It’s my stand against mass produced, chemical laden products.

Inspiration….Handmade. I’m hugely addicted to Etsy. I figure why would you give your hard earned money to a BIG company who possibly only cares about a healthy profit when you can buy and support an individual who has put love and substance into their products? My husband is also a huge inspiration, he pushes me out of my comfort zone (which happens to be VERY comfy), plus I’ve never met someone with such tenacity when it comes to his writing and music. I also LOVE return customers; it’s like a little pat on the back, a reassurance that it’s not just me who’s in love with Starling.

What do I make…. I produce organic aromatherapy soy candles, massage oils, room/linen/body aromatherapy sprays, herbal teas, bath salts, a lip scrub and lip balm for health and well-being.  I also make soy candles scented with premium fragrance oils but am in the process of discontinuing them to make way for more natural and organic products.

Artistic Journey….. I’ve always dabbled creatively and been secretly jealous of artistic friends and family. I once made a stool in high school art with spikes on the seat and called it the “Pain in the Arse Chair”…I got a C-. I became interested in natural remedies after having my children (2 little boys have a lot of accidents), bought some books on Essential Oils and Aromatherapy and not long after my family where getting plied with samples and being (happy) guinea pigs. It’s a great creative outlet.

Favourite?.....My most useful favorite is The Survival Kit which contains 4 room/body/linen aromatherapy sprays; Ouchie-which you spray on cuts, grazes, stings and bumps. Don’t Bite Me!- an insect repellent. Poo-Wee!- a bathroom spray, and Sniff and Snuffles- a decongestant and super cold/flu bug killing spray. Perfect for this time of year! My favorite spray is Take A Chill Pill, bath salt is Relax…..my lip scrub is awesome and the balm is gorgeous….I love all my products!

Future Plans…..I’ll be at Perth Upmarket on Sunday 24th June. I just attended my first festival as a stallholder as a stallholder and had a truly fantastic time. So I’m thinking more festivals are on the cards. I’m also planning to introduce cleaning products and more body products into Starling.

Lovely readers do you want to see more ? Here is how you can connect with Starling Bath Body Home: 
buy lovely things on Etsy here: www.starlingbathbodyhome.etsy.com
and 
become a follower on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Starling-Bath-Body-Home/235048723190574

Wintry Grey - Wednesday Wishes

Wintry 
adjective (LIKE WINTER) /'win.tri/
definition typical of winter
It looks like this wintry weather is here to stay
Grey 
adjective (COLOUR) /grei/
of the colour that is a mixture of black and white, the colour of rain clouds 

Nature Photography Print 4x4 Painterly Textured Seascape Wall Art Print by Hey Harriet

            Grey necklace crochet. Handmade textile jewelry by Aliquid Textile Jewels

  

                                             Grey Winter Scarf by Rock Ribbons

       Spats with leather trim, Eco Friendly,Recycle suit coat bySew Much Style

                                           saturated 1 by tsk tsk 

Friday Friends - West Australian Etsy Artists - ceramic snippets

Happy Friday lovely readers ! Have you got exciting plans for the weekend ? I think we are on yard cleanup duties before the winter storms hit i.e. trimming back tree branches and the like.......not very exciting but very necessary. I know the colder weather has set in too - time to get hubby to do his best Chimney Sweep impression and clean out the chimney so we can light the fire. The fur kids will be happy too - they become quite accustomed to snuggling in front of the fireplace. This week I want you all to meet Kate - the creative mind (and equally creative hands) behind ceramic snippets !

Kate is a fellow West Australian and a member of the West Australian Street Team on Etsy. As I mentioned in last weeks Friday Friends feature, I really really do admire artists who craft with clay, as it is something I was never skilled at. I want you to "meet" some of the creatures I discovered when browsing through the ceramic snippets photo albums on facebook. They really are just the cutest critters and the images I have chosen to share are firm favourites!

                           "Sheriff of the Sea"                                "Hoot"

"Spotty and Geometric Critters"

Time for you to turn the virtual pages of the the Ceramic Snippets Chronicle dear readers, wishing you the most wonderful of weekends, see you all on Wednesday for a new edition of Wednesday Wishes xo

The ceramic snippets Chronicle
who is ceramic snippets ?
'ceramic snippets' is a collection of clay creations by Kate Stevens. I am a part time librarian who lives in Perth, Western Australia with my husband Dan, my British Shorthair cat Lulu and my King Charles Cavalier dog, Ruby. Being surrounded by so much cute means a lot of it comes out in my work !

how and when did your handmade/artistic journey begin ?
I moved back from the hubbub of London and decided that I had to do something to engage and occupy me. At first I had the (mistaken) idea that it was study. I did nearly two years of law and dropped out in spectacular style after overworking and stressing myself out. After that I decided that I had to find something to relax and enliven me,and that it might help if I embraced my artistic side (which I’d suppressed for a really long time)

"The VIP"

I tried a few things and had some fun, but when my brother coaxed me along to a sculpture course I fell instantly in love with it. It made me feel so happy and creative, and my love for it seemed to come out in my work because people soon started asking if they could buy my pieces. I was a bit shy about it all to begin with, but with some encouragement from some of my friends I started ‘ceramic snippets’ and things have been going strong so far. It’s been a real learning process, which I’ve loved, because I felt for a while that I’d stopped learning things in my life.

what inspires you ?
I get inspiration from all over the place; I’ve noticed that a few of my critters look a bit like my cat Lulu, so I guess inspiration starts at home! Others also share their ideas with me and I try and translate that into clay for them. I also go through phases where all of my creations will have moustaches, or be covered in a certain pattern.

 

Sometimes I’ll get a vague idea and just try it out on the clay… even if my original doesn’t work it will sometimes lead me to something new and fantastic. I’m not a big planner or sketcher, I tend to just see where the clay takes me. There are a few amazing potters out there that I aspire to be like many, many years in the future. My absolute favourite is Amanda Shelsher. I also feel inspired by the success of other local artists, I feel driven to put my work out there when I see the achievements of many of my peers in all different mediums.

what mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite ?
Everything is handmade with Raku clay and then hand glazed with under-glaze (matt finish). On some pieces I will then add a shiny topcoat of glaze and / or a tissue transfer pattern to the surface that has been under-glazed before firing. I like patterns and colour, I’m mad about spots and spirals, so there’s a lot of them in my work too.

I like red raku for bigger pieces because it holds up under it’s own weight so you can build big and wide without it ‘slumping’, and white raku for small pieces because it has a clean, delicate finish and is less gritty than the red clay.

what kinds of things do you make / create ?
I make small, quirky clay sculptures with a whimsical feel. Most pieces are critters, some with quite human elements and a lot seem to have a slight touch of melancholy! My style evolved very unconsciously, I guess it was lurking in there somewhere, waiting to be released in clay.

Do you have a favourite piece that you have made / created ?
One of my favourite early creations was ‘mustachioed man’, the fourth ever piece that I made. I took him down to a local gallery and he was sold and went to Margaret River which I think is the perfect place for him!

"Mustachioed Man"

I also really like my piece ‘heartbreak’ because he is a more serious piece and a bit different from a lot of the cute and quirky pieces I produce. He went to one of my dearest friends so I still get to see him from time to time!

"Heartbreak"

At the moment my favourite piece to make is Michael Mouse, he's quite satisfying to build and decorate, and the simplicity of colour and pattern has good impact I think. I have made a couple of girl and boy versions of him for a few buyers. 

what are your future plans, dreams, aspirations ?

I'd like to make a really big piece. My attention span and time limitations mean I stick to making small pieces, sometimes I would like to get building a piece that I work on for months and months and is totally amazing when it's finished.

"Michael Mouse"

I also aspire to be a full time potter in the future.....I'd love to have my own purpose built ceramics studio full of useful, tools, glazes and with a nice big kiln and an inspiring view for me to gaze out on while I think of what to make next. I'd also like to get more of a handle on the technical side of ceramics - kiln temperatures, firing methods, more adventurous glazing methods - there's a lot to learn !

Readers - want to own a piece of ceramic snippets for yourself ? Here are some LINKS that you can explore. :

buy cool creations through the Etsy shop here: 
www.ceramicsnippets.etsy.com
become a follower on the ceramic snippets Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/ceramicsnippets
explore the ceramic snippets Web page here:
www.ceramicsnippets.weebly.com

and read all about it over on the ceramic snippets Blog here: http://ceramicsnippets.weebly.com/blog.html

Hat, Scarf, Coat, Gloves, and Boots - Wednesday Wishes

A touch of vintage winter glamour with this weeks Wednesday Wishes list. I hope you love it x

                         30's Felt Cloche - P A T R I C I A K E E C H M I L L I N E R Y

                                    Chunky Bow scarves by ginny and judes

                                           Vintage 1950s Princess Coat by FabGabs

                                             Vintage Leather Gloves by Machinedance Vintage 

                     Side-laced Copper and Brown Granny Boots by Tick Tock Couture

Friday Friends - Local Artists - Wonky Pot Pottery

Welcome to Friday lovely Maddabling blog readers. I hope you have had a wonderful week

and of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, today brings the first "official" day of Winter ! 

I have been enjoying a lemongrass and ginger tea which is helping to keep the cold weather

chills at bay. This week it is my great pleasure to introduce to you a local artist that I met at 

the Denmark Markets a little while ago now - meet Vicki from Wonky Pot Pottery!

Vicki makes fabulous things out of clay. I was never very good at pottery at school so I truly admire 

those who have the patience and skill to create with clay ! I have been having a good nose around the

photos on Vicki's facebook page and want to share some of my finds with you now. I must admit

I did buy one of Vicki's sweet pendants from market and it is a firm favourite in my jewellery 

collection! Here is a selection of finds for you to browse :) 

I hope dear readers that this gives you a taste of the the pieces Vicki creates and that you enjoy 

the Wonderous Tale of Wonky Pot Pottery. For those in Western Australia, have a wonderful long 

weekend and stay warm and dry ! 

The Wonderous Tale of Wonky Pot Pottery

Hi everyone - I'm Vicki, the face behind Wonky Pot Pottery. 

Wonky Pot Pottery was given its name when our son was looking for a bowl during 

a family get together and asked if he could use the wonky pot on the bench. This was 

a wheel thrown then altered large open bowl that was waiting to go out to the 

Oranje Tractor Winery for display. After much laughter the name stuck and every time 

someone remarks on the name I am reminded of my wonderful family and the joy they 

bring David and I!

Pottery was something I had always dreamed of doing, but as so many other Mums (and Dads) 

often do, concentrated on family first. A series of cancer hiccups over many years meant that 

an early retirement 4 or so years ago was a change in direction with my life. David and I went off 

to night classes in pottery for a ‘date night’. I found a peace and sense of achievement when

working with clay. To accomplish the simplest of tasks with clay such as centring on the wheel, 

you have to be completely in the moment. There can be nothing else in that moment. 

David was soon caught in the spell of working with clay too, to take wet earth and create an 

object of simple elegant form that is functional but beautiful too.

You may take your lump of clay with a goal or result in mind, you can ‘make’ it become 

a bowl or vase or jug or anything that you want, but it is also being ‘open’ to possibilities 

that can be revealed as you begin to open out the vessel. Finding strength and beauty 

from a new direction from a ‘mistake’ or a ‘weakness’.

My work is primarily created using mid-fired earthenware clay that I can fire in my own kiln.  

This clay was a challenge after using stoneware clay for a few years, as it is quite ‘soft’ so 

needs to be approached with sensitivity and consideration to its limitations. It can’t and 

won’t be rushed.  Bit like me I suppose!

For now our passion is for wheel thrown pieces of a style that could be described as 

functional ware.  Our pieces are to be used and enjoyed. We strive for that new technique 

that will open possibilities. I am always looking to create the ‘perfect’ bowl. To find new ways

to take the basic form and then alter or decorate or use a luscious glaze to enhance but not

remove its ‘function’ and elegance.

David is currently building a raku kiln that will take our work down another creative path. 

He also has a full time ‘day’ job that limits his time in the studio at the moment but it is 

thanks to him that our wheels and kilns work as well as they do. I am currently working on 

a range of teapots that will be seen first at the Denmark Arts Markets later this year. 

Teabags should have removed the need for such items, but I must have one of my own!  

A classic example of a traditional piece of functional ware, that is composed of several parts

that are put together in such a way that they are beautiful and/or interesting, but still 

pours a cup of tea well!

We look forward to meeting old friends and new when we get back into the 

2012/13 Market Season. Keep an eye on the facebook page for when and where! 

It is very satisfying to find new homes for our pottery, good thing too as we may be 

buried under all those pots that have simply had to be made!

Dear readers - would you like to see more ? You can connect with Wonky Pot Pottery by  

becoming a facebook follower here to keep up with all the latest Wonky Pot Pottery News : 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wonky-Pot-Pottery/188996241129347