brisstyle indie twilight market

Working out the last of my stall display before the BrisStyle indie Twilight Market this Friday night, details here.

new work

hand-embroidery on navy cotton

Life threw a few curve balls at me in the last month and while I haven't been blogging as much I've still been stitching :)

hand-embroidery on vintage linen

Only one more sleep till Brisbane's Finders Keepers! I'll be on the verandah so if you're in the area pop in and check out some new work.

hand-embroidery on cotton

I also have a limited run of 24 pendants, get in early for one of these!


Plus I have a new display but I'll leave that post till after the weekend ;)



See you there!

Cuddly Cats are making a comeback!

Cuddly Cats are making a comeback on Saturday at the BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market. Pop by and say hi to these cute little faces in the co-op marquee at St Augustine's Church Grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton from 9am-2pm. More details here.

oh what a night!

Photo from Kish Photography

The BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who popped by to say hello. Here's my little section on the super fun co-op stall just before the sun went down.


Thinking it's about time I invested in some proper signage and a bit more colour...

Check out more Twilight fun here and future BrisStyle market dates here.

Stay tuned for more market news this week and a new product!

My creative space ...

There's only one sleep to go until the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market so I'm squeezing in some last minute tissue cosies then I'm done! If you're coming along to check it out pop by the co-op marquees and say hi, I'll be sharing with Shelley and Melinda.

For more creative spaces or to show off yours head to Kirsty's.

3 Quick Questions: Lauren Carney

Lauren Carney is an incredibly talented illustrator/crafter/designer who recently won the Finders Keepers art competition. I love her whimsical, quirky little world and am so pleased she kindly answered these 3 Quick Questions...


What inspired you to start creating?

I was always making stuff when I was a kid, sewing, painting, knitting, collaging... there were always so many craft projects going on all the time! When I reached high school I focused more on fine art, and neglected my sewing fixation for years after. It was only in the past twelve months I discovered the amazing world of blogging, where I reconnected with my creativity by being inspired by others. It’s amazing how someone's work, whether it is photography, painting, music, patchwork or sculpture, can impact on you. I’ve found myself sewing and crafting the way I used to when I was young, but in a way that my drawing and sewing can be combined. I constantly have to be inspired by others to function, whether it is going to indie markets, going to art galleries or people watching in Queen Street. I think once you’ve had your dose of inspiration for the day, anything is achievable!


If you could spend more time on one thing, what would it be?

I would have to say, sipping tea and drawing my art journals are something I could spend days on end doing. Documenting my day’s outcome with an epic illustration is almost selfish, because it’s not something that people can touch or hold and call their own, it's more something they can giggle at or perhaps relate to. For that reason I don't spend ages on them. It seems more constructive to make things that people can hang in their living room, or wear on a jacket.


What's next for you?

Well the next big event is preparing for the Finders Keepers markets in June, which I’m totally excited for! My house is going to be a creative disaster zone over the next few months, but I’ll love every moment of it (I can't say the same for my dear housemates though!) I think the next goal / dream after the Finders Keepers will be a Gallery exhibition! That is definitely something worth working towards I think!


Thanks Lauren!

Check out more of Lauren's work here:
Lauren Carney Blog
Dizzy Little Dotty Etsy Shop

newsworthy

The lovely Michelle spotted my little foxy squirrel brooch in the Canberra Times yesterday (thanks Moose)!

A big hello to those who popped by The BrisStyle Indie Designers Market yesterday, next up is the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market at King George Square in the City on Friday (night) 30 April, this one promises to be spectacular! Stay tuned for edward & lilly's involvement.

And, if you're keen to win some handmade goodness head to this month's Big BrisStyle Giveaway!

Retail Therapy for Brisbane

Brisbanites, get your shopping lists ready and your gumboots on (well, hopefully not but then who doesn't love sloshing around), it's time for the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market, this Saturday 6 March, 9am-2pm at St Augustine's Church Hall and Grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton.

I'll be playing in the BrisStyle Co-op section on the promo and charity tables so pop by, say hello and make a donation to The Leukaemia Foundation in support of this brave BrisStylette.

** Diaries out! There's more exciting news about upcoming BrisStyle markets here **

See you there!

3 Quick Questions: Enticing Icing

Edible fondant sugar pirate cake toppers

Some of you will know Bel from EmBelIsh but did you know about her new venture Enticing Icing? Cute, practical and ingenious, Bel's sugar art creations are sure to be a crowd pleaser, plus they last for months so you can stock up till your heart's content.

Edible fondant sugar star cake toppers your choice of colours

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your sugarart creations?
I would have to say my Nan is my biggest inspiration, every year until I was about 10 she would create these amazing cakes for me (sometimes 2 if I couldn’t pick just one design) and she also made wedding cakes and little Marzipan creations that were so life like.

Edible fondant sugar birdie cake toppers your choice of colour

I have always loved cooking and baking sweets and desserts in particular and always enjoyed making birthday cakes for my niece and nephew and now my own boys and close friends children so I guess it has just been a gradual progression from that. I found that like me lots of my friends also liked to bake but then weren’t sure how to decorate their creations to turn them into something amazing so I also wanted to make a product that would help them do that, whilst still having that ‘home made’ feel and giving them the pleasure of creating something for their family and friends.

edible fondant sugar frog cake toppers your choice of colours

Do you find there are similarities between your EmBelISH creations and Enticing Icing creations?
I guess I still tend to go for the ‘girly’ designs, the reason Em and I started EmBelISH was to fill that void of both having boys and I guess in a way I think I do the same with Enticing Icing. Although I have to say I am starting to think more about ‘Boy’ designs and I guess my latest Pirate collection shows that. Having a 3 year old boy with lots of opinions also helps that problem, I am sure there are going to be some Cars and maybe Trucks in the not too far away future.

edible fondant sugar girly party set cake toppers

What was the biggest challenge in setting up a business creating Sugarart?
I guess like any stay at home mum with young children I would have to say time. I wish I could create all day but it feels like there is always someone in the house who needs attention. Sunday afternoons/nights have kind of become my creating time, so I normally cook dinner early and clear out the kitchen. Being a craft involving food preparation it’s not something I can sit in front of the telly and do at night so I need to be organised about when I can create.

Thanks Bel!

edible fondant sugar baby bottle cake toppers your choice of colour

For more Enticing Icing check out Bel's website and Etsy shop.

**Stop press: Brisbanites, Bel will be at the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market with Enticing Icing creations so pop along to check them out in person. The BrisStyle Indie Designers Market is from 9am-2pm, Saturday 6 March at St Augustine's Church, Racecourse Road, Hamilton. **

nook

These little critters are taking a stroll over the bridge to Nook tomorrow along with a bunch of eco felt lavender scented birds. If you live in or are visiting Brisbane and you haven't been to Nook then you're missing out on some essential retail therapy! Check it out at 19 Browning Street, West End.

Sunday with the Owls

Sandra's little family of softies

I always feel so re-energised after my monthly Brown Owls fix, there's nothing like sitting around a big table with crafty peeps who are as excited about sewing, knitting and crocheting as I am.


How cute is that little family of softies, they were created by Sandra and inspired by a pattern from the Softies book. I love the cute little embroidered faces, her stitches are so tiny and perfect.

There's a full run down of our morning over here.

The Handmade Dream

Wouldn't it be a handmade dream come true to walk down Brisbane's busy and very commercial Queen Street Mall and find a gorgeous shop full of the most divine handmade bags like this one?

With a little help from the handmade community the dream may come true for Mel from Taybian Design. Mel has a strong chance to win free rent for 6 months in Broadway on the Mall as part of Queen Street Mall's Follow the Fashion competition. To win, she needs your vote! Click on this link to give Taybian a big 5 stars, plus you could win yourself some great prizes!

And don't forget to spread the word!

My creative space ...

This week I've been busy making and pegging teeny critters to my new brooch board for the market.

The board is super easy to make. Simply use a canvas covered in linen or your favourite fabric (use a hot glue gun to attach the linen to the back edges of the canvas). Then measure where you want your string to hang and attach the string ends to the back edges with a staple gun. If you don't have a staple gun just use nails or thumb tacks and tie the string on. You could also put a piece of core flute (aka foamcor) between the front of the canvas and the fabric if you wanted to make a pin board version, or a sheet of magnet to make a magnet board.

You can see more photos of the brooch board over on my flickr.


I have loads of back up brooches for the market too. These ones are made using re-purposed upholstery fabric samples so each brooch is completely unique. Expect to see some of these in my shop next week.


And finally, I managed to pull off the car plushies just in time (well, after another four wheels are done). I'm also working on another two purple cars for the shop.

Pop back in the next week for a run down of the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market and to be the first to get your hands on my new shop stock!

For more creative spaces head over to Kirsty's.

My creative space ...

Adding little faces to kitties and puppies.

It's just over two weeks now till the BrisStyle Indie Designer Market. If you're a Brisbanite pop by and say hi on Saturday 4 July at St Augustine's, Racecourse Road, Hamilton. It's going to be a huge day with over 50 BrisStyle stalls!

For more creative spaces or to show off your own check out Kootoyoo.