Wednesday Wonderfuls

I don't know about you, but I love to decorate my home with art work and photos.  Admittedly I probably need to spend one weekend sorting out a more aesthetically pleasing way of displaying my art and photos, but in the mean time, I leave you some gorgeous art work from several wonderful Australian artists.

White Pelargonium by Michelle's Art and Photography

Red Bird Blue Apple Print by One Red Robin

Marbled Rose II by Sandra Darling

Butterfly by ishandchi

Feature Friday - Julie's Silk 'N Style Shop

Today's feature Friday artist is the colourful Julie of Julie's Silk 'n Style Shop.  She creates a beautiful range of hand painted silk ties, scarves and other accessories.  Her work is so bright and cheery and comes in a diverse range of styles.  Let's find out more about the woman behind the creations!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in Derby (Midlands UK).  I am married to Pete and have four grown up children and a 17 year old foster son.  I don't have a day job, but I wouldn't exactly call myself a full time artist either.  A lot of my time is devoted to my work.  However, Rachel, my 23 year old daughter, is still at home and has lots of cancer-related health issues and Nic, my foster son, is still at home too, so I guess I would call myself part artist, part homemaker.   I also spend time helping out with church activities - music, young people, etc.  I like countryside walks with Pete, reading, cooking and, of course, anything crafty!

Describe yourself in five words.

Christian, wife, mother, artist, happy!

Singapore Orchid Scarf

When and how did you first start crafting/creating?

For as long as I can remember!  My mum always encouraged my sister and me to be creative.  I started silk painting when Rachel became ill as a sort of therapeutic thing to do together.

 What do you create and what are your favourite materials with which to work?

I enjoy making jewellery and creating silk paintings.  I love really bright colours and bold designs.

 Spectrum Tie

When and how did you start selling online?

I started selling on eBay towards the end of 2005.  I made a steam train tie for my husband (he's an enthusiast!) and people said I should try selling one like it.  The business has grown steadily since then.  A friend recently introduced me to Etsy and I stocked my shop for the first time at the beginning of the year.

Describe your store in five words.

Bold bright pure silk accessories.

Paul Klee Inspired Tie

Where can we find you online?

Etsy: http://www.julieriis.etsy.com

eBay: http://stores.ebay.com.uk/julies-silk-n-style

 FB: http://www.facebook.com/juliessilknstyle

Twitter: http://twitter.com/silknstyle

Swarovski Sneak Peek

As many of you will know, I have a mild obsession with Swarovski crystals and with filigree stampings and connectors.  So, I thought that it was about time I combine these two obsessions to create a new range of jewellery and accessories for my store.

I have already listed the Nikita (purple), Giordana (blue) and Athena (pink) rings in my Etsy store, but I am hoping to create more of these sparkly rings in a range of colours once I source some more Swarovski flowers in new colours.  In the mean time, I have had fun creating a new range of hair accessories using these gorgeous Swarovksi elements.

Allow me to unveil the Nikita, Athena and Giordana hair forks!  While the filigrees I have used for the hair forks are different from those used in the rings, I have decided to keep the same name for the corresponding Swarovski element colour.  To be honest, I am fairly sure that I could not create a beautiful hairdo using these hair forks, but I am sure that there are many women out there who are not as stylistically-challenged (if that's a term) as me!

So what do you think?  Would you, or someone you know, be able to use these sparkly hair forks to decorate your hair?  I think they would be great accessories for brides or bridesmaids, but I am undecided about whether I should sell these hair forks as singles or as pairs.  I would love to hear your feedback and comments!

Wishlist Wednesday - Kitchen Appliances

I am currently shopping around for a new oven and cooktop to replace my current oven/cooktop which is on its last legs, so today's wishlist Wednesday highlights some kitchen appliances with which I am in love.

The Andi 70cm 8 function oven

 The Blanco 75cm stainless steel oven

The Andi 70cm gas cooktop

The AEG-Electrolux 75cm gas cooktop

Yo-Yo Fun

To some of you, I may seem a little slow on the uptake.  But after seeing lots of cute and beautiful creations made with fabric yo-yo's (aka Suffolk puffs), I have finally tried my hand at creating these sweet adornments.  I had a few requests to show off my new found skill, so here is a little post about what I've done so far.

I'm not going to share a tutorial for making the yo-yo's since I followed this fantastic tutorial I found on the amazing Zakka Life blog.  Instead, I have a fairly quick hair clip project using yo-yo's.  Now, I say fairly quick but, if like me, you have two little girls who want full involvement in designing said yo-yo's and hair clips, then this project might take a little longer while everyone debates over which fabrics and notions should be used!

All you need for these simple hair accessories are large-ish fabric scraps for your yo-yo's, some buttons, and some hair clips (I used snap clips because my girls love them).
I might add that I found it easier to gather and arrange my yo-yo's to the desired ruffled/puffy look when I used more lightweight fabrics.  The middle yo-yo turned out the best for me and is cotton (I think).  The right yo-yo was made from synthetic fabric and was a little too floppy to work with, while the green yo-yo was made from rather thick quilting fabric and I found it a bit thick and stiff for getting into a nice round shape.  I was also too lazy to cut out a circle template for my yo-yo's and merely used a roll of packing tape as a template.

Once you have made your lovely yo-yo's following Jessica's tutorial, you should have a nice little pile of yo-yo's ready for your creative projects.  Once I made this trio and my girls had stopped arguing over which buttons to use, I sewed one button over the middle of each yo-yo to cover up the hole and my ungainly stitching.  (And I can't resist using buttons in my craft projects either, LOL).

When I sewed the buttons onto the yo-yo's, I tried to catch the ruffles as well to ensure that everything was secure and sturdy enough to withstand the rigours of being worn by two small girls.

The next step is to attach your decorated yo-yo's to your hair clips.  I love these snap clips with the little hole at the end.  They're great for gluing as the glue has something extra to "grip" and they're great for sewing too.  I chose to sew my yo-yo's onto the snap clips since I wasn't sure if my usual glues were suitable for fabric.  I suppose I could have tried using my hot glue gun, but my needle and thread were already raring to go (so to speak) and I don't like using my hot glue gun around the kids.
After you have sewn your yo-yo securely onto the hair clip, all you have to do is sit back, and admire your handiwork and bask in the appreciation you will receive from the recipients of these clips!

Miss almost 3 modelling a yo-yo snap clip.

My girls have requested that I also make them some elastic headbands adorned with yo-yo's, so I guess that will be my next yo-yo project (as well as some snap clips for my friend who admired them so much I promised to make some for her two year old).  I am thinking that for headbands I will either make the yo-yo's in a larger size or group multiple small yo-yo's in a row.
I had a brief thought that the yo-yo's would be great for stringing into a garland, but the thought of making enough yo-yo's for two garlands quite frankly scares me!  Of course, I could just go to Spotlight or Lincraft and buy a yo-yo making tool such as those made by Clover.  That would probably make my life a lot easier, and they have tools to make yo-yo's in an assortment of fun shapes too!

So have I inspired you to try yo-yo making too?  Or have you been making these sweet decorations for years now?  Feel free to share with me your yo-yo projects or ideas.

And the Winner of the Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway for 2010 is...

Well, here's the moment you have all been waiting for!  My lovely random number generator chose:

Comment number 226 was Melissa who said:
"Love the blue ring! I'd add it to a care package that I'm making for my cousin, who's having a rough go at it lately."

Congratulations Melissa!  I wil email you for your details.  And thanks so much to all of you who entered my giveaway.  I look forward to seeing you at my blog again in the near future.
For those of you who missed out, don't despair - I am offering 10% off storewide (excluding shipping) from now until midnight 23rd of May (Melbourne time) to celebrate my birthday.  Just put "bday10" in the notes to seller and I will refund you the difference via Paypal.

Feature Friday - Challen Charms

The featured artist for this week is the lovely Rachael of Challen Charms.  Rachael is a fellow Australian and jeweller.  She creates the cutest jewellery as we shall soon find out.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Rachael and I am a born and bred Brisbanite, who decided to marry a man born in Canberra, of all places. My husband and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and bought our first home at the beginning of the year. We are already knee deep into renovations (I married an architect!), which doesn’t help my time organisational skills when it comes to crafting.

I am part of Gen Y (no judgement please) and work as a full-time marketing coordinator, which leaves nights and weekends free to create, when I’m not already roped into doing something around the house or with family and friends. When I do have time to myself, I make the most of it and create items for my store and gifts for loved ones. I have my own crafting workshop at home and am constantly interested in using new materials and equipment to make unique, one of a kind items. My husband knows this all too well and bought me a soldering iron for Christmas.

Amethyst and Crystal Necklace

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Organised, Caring, Crafty, Outgoing, Friendly

When and how did you first start crafting/creating?

I first started crafting as a young child, making things such as paddle pop jewellery boxes and laminated placemats (from my own drawings) for family members. It then developed over the years into cross-stitching, latch hook, long stitching and paper crafts before discovering the art of creating my own jewellery.

Dainty Butterfly Earrings

What do you create and what are your favourite materials with which to work?

I primarily create jewellery that is simple and elegant, allowing for everyday wear, whether that involves dressing up for a special occasion or simply going out to the movies with friends. My stores offer jewellery items that include rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces but I am always happy to custom make items to suit the customer e.g. using clip ons instead of earwires. I am learning to sew at the moment too and hope to incorporate fabric products into my online stores soon. My favourite materials to work with include mother of pearl beads, lampwork beads, silver girlie charms, Michael Miller fabric and other retro fabrics from Funky Fabrix in Brisbane.

When and how did you start selling online?

I only started selling my creations online in June last year, via Etsy. A friend told me about the crafting website and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to talk with other crafters and sell my items worldwide. I have since opened an Australian online store via Made It to target Australian buyers and discovered the wonderful DUST (Down Under Street Team) on Etsy. I have found the online jewellery market very competitive and am working hard to offer unique items to potential customers.

Coloured Flowers Bracelet

Describe your store in 5 words
Simple, Elegant, Cute, Charming, Fun

Where can we find you online?

As part of Gen Y, I am a bit of a social networking nut and as such ChallenCharms can be found at the following locations and many more…

Blog: http://challencharms.blogspot.com/
Etsy: http://challencharms.etsy.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/challencharms
Flickr: http://flickr.com/challencharms/photos
Made It: http://madeit.com.au/challencharms
Twitter: http://twitter.com/challencharms