Butterfly Bloopers

I took my new Butterfly maker to my Craft Group on Saturday afternoon. After waiting for months to find one of these I was waiting no longer to have a go. I really should have waited. First attempt. Now you can just see the making of a butterfly shape. Ok, so you need to squint, tilt your head on its side and hold you tongue just so. Second attempt. Going backwards here. Third attempt. I started this one just before leaving but didn’t feel confident that it was going to work out either. Today I started again. This is my fourth attempt. Still not perfect but it does have 4 distinct petals. These are not something I can see me making at the motor racing like I do with the other Clover Suffolk Puff makers. It really does require that you pay attention. I’m nothing if not stubborn so I will persevere. Butterflies for everyone!

Brighten up a Dreary Day

As the rain tumbles down in Brisbane (yes, again) I thought I would share some colour to brighten the day.Alan mowed Mum’s grass yesterday. While he was slaving away I ventured out to see what needed trimming.The answer to that is everything. Since she has been sick the garden has really got away from her. That pink flower, as pretty as it is, is a weed.   The blue ginger obviously thrives on neglect. Everyone of the plants is in bloom. Mum was thrilled to see these photos and quickly decreed that nothing needed trimming, just yet.

The Crafter’s Way 174 – Respawned Art

This week’s Messenger column -  Recycled Metal Art. I first met this week’s Artist, Rick Howarth at the Old Petrie Town Markets. I walked past his Respawned stall and stopped dead in my tracks. I wasn’t the only person Rick’s pieces had that affect on. As I was chatting to Rick about his art the stall filled up with others wanting to know more. I also wanted to know more about Rick and his colourful, recycled sculptures.

Have you always been an artist or do did you come from a trade background?

I come from a trade background (sheet metal worker) but did alright at art in school. I’ve been interested in metal art, recycled in particular, and always wanted to have a go someday. What made you follow this path?

Whilst in Alice Springs I started making homewares but was encouraged by Mike Gillam to have a go at some sculptures. Mick encouraged me to keep at it and try new things so I did/do. I regularly send him sculptures for his new fine art gallery. Recycled metal art is my first serious attempt at anything artistic to sell to other people.

What lead to your choice of using recycled metal?

Scrap metal is something I see a lot of in my work as a Sheetie and wanted to put it to good use. I use 100% recycled metal from local suppliers and services. I am not a hardcore greenie but have a great appreciation for the environment. What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas?

Shiny bits in the bin inspire me and the desire to do something with them. I either know what I’m going to do or I start playing till I work it out. Sometimes when I see a lot of the same scrap, I think to myself, “what would that be good for?” Other times, I have a piece in mind and I keep an eye out for the right bits.

Is selling via markets different to galleries?

Yes, the markets bring more custom orders and commissioned work; also people love to talk to the artist face to face. I don’t have a click to buy on my website as I prefer a more personal approach, especially for custom orders.

To see more of Rick’s recycled metal art visit www.respawned.com.au or email the_artist@respawned.com.au

Brisbane Craft Expo

Until late last week I had no plans to go to the Brisbane Craft Expo. Anyway a business meeting with somebody about the book at the Expo changed all that and I’m glad I went.

It wasn’t very big, actually much smaller than usual but I bought more this time than I have the last couple of years. There was a new stand this year and they had a heaps of bits and pieces . I have a pair of shoes that are in perfectly good condition except I lost a piece of bling off them one night walking home from the pub. If I can find some shoe clips then both the gold flowers and the red will be shoe clips. If not then I will glue the gold on and use the red elsewhere. I love doing Kumihimo with this metallic thread. This year the stand had packs that were a softer metallic, not the tacky, garish gold and silver they usually have. I was thrilled until the owner broke my heart. His supplier is no longer stocking these threads. Nooooooo! I tried to buy one of these at last year’s show and they had sold out. I can buy them wholesale from Birch but didn’t need a box full. I probably didn't really need this one either but that is a whole different story. I’m going to take it to Brown Owls this afternoon and see how easy it is to do.

Got a bit more to do before I head out so I’m off to do a bit of dyeing.

Rustic Timberwork

Alan has been busy lately creating some new Timberwork. The tongue & groove timber is out of a house that was 103 yrs old. This was the original ceiling. Our front counter is also made out of it. The metal work is off an old carriage. These are old favourites. I can remember when we still did the markets out of the trailer we couldn’t make enough of these. And our animals are starting to make a bit of a comeback. Koalas are popular with tourists. I can see crappy nails in my future. Sanding is a killer.

Find me in *bespoke*

On Wednesday I found my copy of *bespoke* zine in the post. I’m one of three Craft Artists featured in Corporate to Creative on page 12. The second edition of *bespoke* is full to the brim with all things craft. Don’t miss out. The first edition sold out.Grab a copy today.

Experimental Kumihimo

I’m in the throes of experimenting with some different closures/finishes for some kumhimo necklaces. While I’m in the experimenting mood I’m also playing around with some new pendant designs to accompanying them. First job was to warp up some threads. These are some eco dyed threads, very fine cotton, in various shades. After what seemed like an eternity but was really only about 30 mins I have finished warping 16 bobbins. Now I’m ready to braid. I’ve placed the elements around the mirror. The gold ribbon, indicated by arrow, is going to be a tie closure. As I braided the ribbon was totally enclosed within the braid. This is what the finished braid looks like. I threaded the gold ribbon through bead caps then slid the bead caps down to cover the end of the braid. I will finish the ribbon with an sliding know so the wearer can adjust the necklace length to suit. Now I’m off to finish the pendant. I’ll post pics later.

The Crafter’s Way 173 - *bespoke*

Meet the lady behind *bespoke* zine in this week’s Messenger column. It’s hard to believe that Jessica Van Denn did not consider herself to be creative until she had a light bulb moment in late 2008. Being loaned a novel about a woman who owned a yarn store sparked an interest that had lain undiscovered. Jessica discovered that she loves creating; jewellery, knitting, crocheting and embroidery and her new venture, *bespoke*. Jessica’s desire to create something concrete and tactile lead her to create *bespoke*, a quarterly zine made by the handmade community, for the handmade community. The zine is made up of submissions from the handmade, vintage, and wider creative community. Featuring beautiful images and artwork together with inspiring artisan stories Jessica has created a zine with its own flavour. *bespoke* focuses on the growing community of people who make handmade goods. Jessica is passionate about sharing the stories of the handmade community. “I think that's really struck a chord in people. So many people have told me how much they enjoyed reading those stories in Issue 1 - especially the stories of those who are making a good living from their craft - and it will remain a focus of the zine into the future”, says Jessica.  Jessica actively seeks submissions from craft artists, handmadies and other interested people. Jess has a full description of categories on her website http://bespokezine.com/submissions however she encourage people to contact her via email submissions@bespokezine.com “please don’t be hesitant or shy – *bespoke* will live or die depending on the number and quality of submissions from people just like you”, encourages Jessica. A full list of stockists is available at http://bespokezine.com/stockists You can read more about Jessica and her creative life at http://epherielldesigns.com/  If you  want to learn more about the person behind your weekly art/craft column be sure to grab a copy to read ‘Corporate to Creative’ on page 12, featuring myself as well as some other truly inspiring creative types.

Lessons I’ve Learnt 14- Copycats

Sorry to interrupt the current series on Mentors, Role Models & Muses but I thought this was worth sharing.

I saw this post by Mallory Whitfield on the Scoutie Girl blog discussing copying.

It followed a similar vein to my post on 30/10/10. It is worth a read.

Mess Maker

This week started out with me tidying and culling my messy and disorganised home studio. The road to tidiness is never easy, there is a point where the area always seems worse than it was to start with. I pushed on and had a break through.

The week is also destined to finish with a big mess. This time a much more enjoyable one. Yesterday’s Children’s Classes started out as planned.Chairs, tables and dye at the ready. On Sundays this area is a thriving food barn. During the week it is empty so I do my dyeing classes there. There is plenty of room and I can hose it out afterwards.  We had a few spills. This young fellow spilt the red, luckily it was not on him or his clothes. Looks innocent doesn’t he. This is his first attempt at a space dyed thread.When it was all over at 5.30pm I simply couldn’t face packing it all up and starting the clean up. So I left it until this morning. I should keep this post as a screen saver as a reminder of why I should not do that. This is halfway through cleaning up, buckets stacked everywhere. I haven’t touched the threads yet, they are still sitting on the washing machine. I then had a brainwave, I would make a whole lot more of a mess. I would make some merino top paper. I have teased out the tops and placed onto the netting before adding soapy water then glue mixture. It is now drying, I hope, on the line. I didn’t think this through. The forecast is for showers. I hope they hold off at least until the pongy wet wool smell disappears. I have a plan for this paper, not an urgent plan but a plan just the same. You will just have to patient to see what I do with this lot.

One Man’s Rubbish…

We Crafters have an aversion to throwing anything out. The teeniest, tiniest scrap is kept ‘just in case’. We creatively sort and store fabric, threads, trims, tools so we can quickly find ‘that perfect piece I know I have somewhere’.

Earlier this week I decided that my hoarding compulsion had reached its limits.It was time to cull.

This image was taken halfway through the cleanup. As I filled a bag that wasn’t allocated for the shop or another BrisStyler it went straight into the bin. To give you some perspective the space under the bench to the top right of the photo was absolutely full of fabric bits and pieces. Now I wasn’t being rash here. It’s not like I’m going to run out of something. When you have a fabric/craft shop there is always plenty more on hand. These bags are what made it into the shop to be dispersed. I’m not quite ready to sort this lot out but thought it best to move it out of the house before I changed my mind.

Most other Crafters would throw these scraps out but these were saved to be made into beads. I have 2 x green bags full of these scraps waiting to be rolled, trimmed and embellished. After the cleanup I was able to vacuum under that bench without moving anything out of the way. Quite an achievement I must say.

The Crafter’s Way 172 – Craft Day Trip

This week’s Messenger Column.

This was a column I originally drafted back in December. It got put on the backburner due to the devastating floods that hit this area. If you love to explore new craft and handmade venues then fuel up the car and head out for a fun day.

We left home and travelled via Kilcoy to Esk. This was the long way to where we were going but it was much more scenic. I wanted to see the dams full of water after such a long period of drought. It was a magnificent sight. Lining the roads and stretching back into the hills were the jacaranda trees in full flower. They won’t be flowering at the moment however the view is still worth the extra kilometres.

We stopped in the main street of Esk for morning tea. Directly across the road is Twilight Crafts. Twilight Crafts is chock-a-block full of every conceivable craft supply. They also host classes & retreats. If you are a Quilter make sure you pop in and have your Quilter’s Trail Passport stamped during April. From Esk we headed out of town toward our main destination, Forest Hill. I have to admit that until last November I had never heard of this little township situated right in the middle of the antiques trail. The Floods changed all of that; Forest Hill was one of many entire towns evacuated. Businesses are now trading again and are ready to welcome you with their own special brand of hospitality.

If you love quality handmade items then you must pop into Mimmis in the main street. Miriam Bain, the creative genius behind bubbachenille opened Mimmis in November last year. Miriam has a passion for handmade and supporting craft artists and this is evident in the way she has chosen to display the creations. Packed to the rafters with handmade goodies from talented local and interstate craft artists you will spend hours choosing your favourites. Mimmis is open Wednesday to Sundays. Forest Hill has many choices for lunch with 2 hotels and a couple of excellent cafes. Miriam recommended Cafe Sorella for lunch. We enjoyed our meals next to their gift shop. Warning: Do not pet or fondle the handbags or they WILL follow you home. We had one more stop before heading home. We turned off at Ipswich and ducked into Handmade Heaven. You can find Handmade Heaven in the Old Flour Mill at the Top of Town. Handmade Heaven has an ever changing display of quirky handcrafted items to suit all budgets giving you plenty of reasons to visit regularly. Liesa Gifford, the owner, is on hand to help you find the perfect gift for yourself or others. A more perfect name for a business has never been found. You will be in Handmade Heaven.

For more information:

Twilight Crafts: http://www.twilightcrafts.com.au or phone (07) 5424 2870

Mimmis: email mimmisforesthill@bigpond.com or ph 0407 065 307

Handmade Heaven: email handmadeheaven@optusnet.com.au ph 0422 876 154

Drive safely.

Top Photo: Handmade Heaven

2nd Photo: Mimmis Collage

3rd Photos: Mimmis Collage

4th Photo: Handmade Heaven Collage.

Beads + Braids

This morning I had another Children’s Class. Last week we made some paper and fabric beads. This week we began painting and embellishing them. This all went very smoothly until  I brought out the PearlX Powder. Now I should have known better than to let 7 & 8 year olds loose with the direction “a little goes a long way”. My suggestion of ‘dipping’ became ‘rolling in’. They did eventually get the hang of it, glueing then lightly dipping the end into the powder. They loved the way the colours looked when put over another. We then started adding them to their Kumihimo Braids. An 8 year old made this braid. Great job. The 7 year old who made this braid deliberately changed the braiding sequence throughout the length giving the finished bracelet an unique look. Next week we move onto Cross Stitch.