so please bare with me because this is going to take a while.
First things first ... or thereabouts.
A Crafty Vintage Womble, Urban Farmer & Friend to the Bees.
Saturday, December 14
It's been a while ...
It's been a while ... and a lot of stuff has been happening ...
so please bare with me because this is going to take a while.
so please bare with me because this is going to take a while.
Monday, November 11
If I am what I am, 'cos I does what I does - then brother get back 'cos my breast's gonna bust open - the rib is the shell, and the heart is the yolk, and I just made a meal for us both to choke on ... And maybe I'd relax, let my breast just bust open - my heart's made of parts, of all that's around me - and that's why the devil just can't get around me...
"If
I am what I am, 'cos I does what I does - then brother get back 'cos my
breast's gonna bust open - the rib is the shell, and the heart is the
yolk, and I just made a meal for us both to choke on ... And maybe I'd
relax, let my breast just bust open - my heart's made of parts, of all
that's around me - and that's why the devil just can't get around me... "
- Fiona Apple
I am not a flaky freaked out hippy, and neither am I a radical socialist - I am a human be-ing, who believes in truth, beauty, and love above all else - with a healthy dose of sustainable nourishment for good measure ... And I see a lot of problems with the culture we humans create en-mass. It wakes me in the night and makes me sick to my stomach.
O.K - maybe I am a bit too sensitive, compared to some - but this feeling of turning on, tuning in, and dropping out, has been building within me for quite some time.
Heck! even as a 14 year old, my family would tell me "you cant just drop out and live in a commune" - But I think they missed Timothy Leary's point - it was not just about the dropping out - the 'turning on and tuning in' came first in the phrase - no doubt that is why they were said in front of the words 'drop out'.
Don't get me wrong - I love cities - and the way they function as a constructed human organism - so its not about that - I love mother nature - I love science - I adore and relish in conducting my own research and experiments, and finding my own conclusions - but at the same time there is this definite/infinite feeling that the stars are aligning. What Carl Sagan speaks of, (and that of his successor Prof. Brian Cox) is ringing true in my ears ...
"There's a growing consciousness that sees the world as a single organism and realizes that any organism divided against itself, is doomed." - Carl Sagan.
“Our story is the story of the universe. Every piece of everyone, everything you love, everything you hate, and the thing you hold most precious, was assembled by the forces of nature in the first few minutes of the life of the universe. Transformed in the hearts of stars, or created in their fiery deaths. And when you die, those pieces will be returned to the universe in the endless cycle of death and rebirth. What a wonderful thing it is, to be a part of that universe—and what a story, what a majestic story.” - Prof. Brian Cox
And so, my circle of friends (both living and dead) is growing daily - and something is definitely a-foot.
In the mean time - here is a book that was recommended to me by my university mentor Prof. Les Walkling many moons ago - it has served me well over the years - I'm sure its available where you like to buy books from - its one of those ones that always seems to be in print :)
Tune in next time
xoxo
- Fiona Apple
I am not a flaky freaked out hippy, and neither am I a radical socialist - I am a human be-ing, who believes in truth, beauty, and love above all else - with a healthy dose of sustainable nourishment for good measure ... And I see a lot of problems with the culture we humans create en-mass. It wakes me in the night and makes me sick to my stomach.
O.K - maybe I am a bit too sensitive, compared to some - but this feeling of turning on, tuning in, and dropping out, has been building within me for quite some time.
Heck! even as a 14 year old, my family would tell me "you cant just drop out and live in a commune" - But I think they missed Timothy Leary's point - it was not just about the dropping out - the 'turning on and tuning in' came first in the phrase - no doubt that is why they were said in front of the words 'drop out'.
Don't get me wrong - I love cities - and the way they function as a constructed human organism - so its not about that - I love mother nature - I love science - I adore and relish in conducting my own research and experiments, and finding my own conclusions - but at the same time there is this definite/infinite feeling that the stars are aligning. What Carl Sagan speaks of, (and that of his successor Prof. Brian Cox) is ringing true in my ears ...
"There's a growing consciousness that sees the world as a single organism and realizes that any organism divided against itself, is doomed." - Carl Sagan.
“Our story is the story of the universe. Every piece of everyone, everything you love, everything you hate, and the thing you hold most precious, was assembled by the forces of nature in the first few minutes of the life of the universe. Transformed in the hearts of stars, or created in their fiery deaths. And when you die, those pieces will be returned to the universe in the endless cycle of death and rebirth. What a wonderful thing it is, to be a part of that universe—and what a story, what a majestic story.” - Prof. Brian Cox
And so, my circle of friends (both living and dead) is growing daily - and something is definitely a-foot.
In the mean time - here is a book that was recommended to me by my university mentor Prof. Les Walkling many moons ago - it has served me well over the years - I'm sure its available where you like to buy books from - its one of those ones that always seems to be in print :)
Tune in next time
xoxo
*note - The text image is of the first page preface, from The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. - Universtity of Chicago Press 1995 - ISBN : 0-226-06584-7
Me thinks it can be applied not only to university style research - but to everything, in the way we think about, and experience the human condition. Me thinks Lauren Hill is right - "Everything, is everything"
Wednesday, September 4
Some say, a change is as good as ...
When you find yourself at the end of a relationship that you put all of your heart, soul, and energy into, it can be hard to know what to do what that energy, when it can no longer be directed in the same direction it was.
After spending so much time focused on a person, or a relationship, it can be hard to again put the focus on yourself. It seems almost selfish now! Wow, how we do brainwash ourselves.
Anyway, I figure I can't change my situation, but I can change my environment. That is one outcome I do have control over. So I found it is easier for me to focus on myself again, by allowing myself to change my outside world for the better, first ... it makes the transition to 'being selfish' again so much easier ... not to mention kinda fun. I take a lot of my inspiration from Nick Hornby's character in High Fidelity. I love the way he re-arranges his record collection every time he breaks up. It's the kind of thing I do too.
Knowing that I can live however I like, in whatever way and style that I like, is freeing and inspiring, and a good place to start learning a new direction, or way of being.
We don't have to limit ourselves by trying to live up to some magazine ideal of how our living and/or work spaces should be. I don't need to live in a McMansion, because I don't need, want, or desire a McMansion lifestyle. I won't go off on an architectural/sociological rant right now, other than to say we don't need to keep up with any of The Jones' at all, and, Australia's ambitions and ideals for, and of, living environments and spaces, is a bit narrow, to say the least.
I want ... no, I need my space to be functional and creative.
My home and my work space can, & should, reflect exactly who I am and what I need to sustain myself and the people I live with, both inside and out. Nothing more.
So recently I have been pottering about the house, finding my new direction, and focusing on my home environment ... Which has lead to more productive work spaces, which leads to more of the things that matter, like nurturing inspiration and creativity, and before you know it - Bam! - you are focused on yourself & your creativity, and left wondering how you ever had the time to be consumed by anyone, or anything else. Hallelujah!
I have created a post office in my kitchen/diner, (its an open space house) and I am totally in love with it! I can store all of my postage & promotional needs in one place, and I don't have to fetch them form all corners every time I get an online sale. I have also stashed an array of crafty things for my newly revived love of paper and stationary. (How that ever left me I have no idea!) ... Plus I think it looks kind of awesome!
The two pieces of furniture I used to build the 'post office' have their own story, (that I won't bore you with ... everything in this place has a story, right down to literally the kitchen sink) and they were just going to waste, being separated in different spaces in the house, doing different jobs, and neither of them very well. You could say I have re-purposed them in the same way I have been learning to re-purpose my life after love. awww. *shy face* . Now all it needs is a folding parcel packing table and I'm set. I saw the perfect one in a catalog that will fit neatly between the cabinet and the door, that I will try to replicate when I source (find) the right materials.
My Da seems to think that the old pigeon hole cabinet would have been used at the railways back in its day, he says it has the same green government paint still on the side of it. The sideboard it is sitting on was saved from land fill too. Actually I think most of the things in this photo have been saved from landfill. The antique red gum ice box/cabinet that I keep my glasses in, was a gift from my Mum that she no longer needed, & thought it was the perfect place for it when I finished building - she was right. Oh and she is also responsible for the chairs, hours of stripping off layers of paint accumulated over the years. Thanks Mum!
Although I have been totally changing my home/work environment, I have not used anything in this little project that I didn't already have. Everything has just been moved around, re-ordered, re-arranged, re-purposed, re-discovered, re-vamped, or found. Its a bit of a metaphor for whats happening on the inside too I suppose.
How do you find new directions or inspiration?
Happy handmade love.
xoxo
After spending so much time focused on a person, or a relationship, it can be hard to again put the focus on yourself. It seems almost selfish now! Wow, how we do brainwash ourselves.
Anyway, I figure I can't change my situation, but I can change my environment. That is one outcome I do have control over. So I found it is easier for me to focus on myself again, by allowing myself to change my outside world for the better, first ... it makes the transition to 'being selfish' again so much easier ... not to mention kinda fun. I take a lot of my inspiration from Nick Hornby's character in High Fidelity. I love the way he re-arranges his record collection every time he breaks up. It's the kind of thing I do too.
Knowing that I can live however I like, in whatever way and style that I like, is freeing and inspiring, and a good place to start learning a new direction, or way of being.
We don't have to limit ourselves by trying to live up to some magazine ideal of how our living and/or work spaces should be. I don't need to live in a McMansion, because I don't need, want, or desire a McMansion lifestyle. I won't go off on an architectural/sociological rant right now, other than to say we don't need to keep up with any of The Jones' at all, and, Australia's ambitions and ideals for, and of, living environments and spaces, is a bit narrow, to say the least.
I want ... no, I need my space to be functional and creative.
My home and my work space can, & should, reflect exactly who I am and what I need to sustain myself and the people I live with, both inside and out. Nothing more.
So recently I have been pottering about the house, finding my new direction, and focusing on my home environment ... Which has lead to more productive work spaces, which leads to more of the things that matter, like nurturing inspiration and creativity, and before you know it - Bam! - you are focused on yourself & your creativity, and left wondering how you ever had the time to be consumed by anyone, or anything else. Hallelujah!
I have created a post office in my kitchen/diner, (its an open space house) and I am totally in love with it! I can store all of my postage & promotional needs in one place, and I don't have to fetch them form all corners every time I get an online sale. I have also stashed an array of crafty things for my newly revived love of paper and stationary. (How that ever left me I have no idea!) ... Plus I think it looks kind of awesome!
The two pieces of furniture I used to build the 'post office' have their own story, (that I won't bore you with ... everything in this place has a story, right down to literally the kitchen sink) and they were just going to waste, being separated in different spaces in the house, doing different jobs, and neither of them very well. You could say I have re-purposed them in the same way I have been learning to re-purpose my life after love. awww. *shy face* . Now all it needs is a folding parcel packing table and I'm set. I saw the perfect one in a catalog that will fit neatly between the cabinet and the door, that I will try to replicate when I source (find) the right materials.
My Da seems to think that the old pigeon hole cabinet would have been used at the railways back in its day, he says it has the same green government paint still on the side of it. The sideboard it is sitting on was saved from land fill too. Actually I think most of the things in this photo have been saved from landfill. The antique red gum ice box/cabinet that I keep my glasses in, was a gift from my Mum that she no longer needed, & thought it was the perfect place for it when I finished building - she was right. Oh and she is also responsible for the chairs, hours of stripping off layers of paint accumulated over the years. Thanks Mum!
Although I have been totally changing my home/work environment, I have not used anything in this little project that I didn't already have. Everything has just been moved around, re-ordered, re-arranged, re-purposed, re-discovered, re-vamped, or found. Its a bit of a metaphor for whats happening on the inside too I suppose.
How do you find new directions or inspiration?
Happy handmade love.
xoxo
Friday, August 23
I Love Snail Mail
I have recently been doing some 'productive procrastinating' as I like to call it.
It's not actually getting done the things I need to get done ... & it's just enjoying doing random crafty, & creative things.
I suppose you could call it research, or 'getting your craft on' ... but as I really should be doing something else, I call it productive procrastinating.
With such, I have been spending a bit of time playing around with packaging ideas for my two micro businesses, i made this for you ... & then some. It has always been a bit of an issue for me. Do you just throw a business card into the parcel, or do you include a personal note? Do you include freebies? How do you let people know that you appreciate their custom & would love for you to tell their friends about what you do, & hopefully/maybe come back one day? How do you give a customer the same gooey feeling that they get when they walk into their favorite bricks & mortar store, when they open their parcel from your online store?
I have been lucky enough to get quite a few postcards and the like printed for free of late, and I have started including them in the parcels. But that was simply not enough for my liking. I wanted to make a little song and dance about saying 'Thank You' when a customer opens the parcel.
This is what I have come up with for now.
It includes some business cards and postcards and a fridge magnet or two, from both of my shops, [cross promotion can't hurt right?]
As well as a Thank You / Discount card for return customers, & potentially any other bits & pieces that take my fancy.
madeit.com.au has recently had a big upgrade and now includes customer codes, so you can enter a special code [provided by individual shops] at the checkout for your discount. Way cool! So I made a special Thank You card that I can write a note on, that also has a return customer discount code printed on it. That code is valid for both shops, can be used over & over again, & will never expire! It is my way of sharing the handmade love.
But the bit I like the most is the gift tags I made. They are all hand cut from salvaged kraft board, with a hand cut sticker made from paper that I printed, and then stamped myself. I am kinda proud of them. And because I don't write on the back of them, they are also a handy free gift tag for you! Even the string is certified food grade, so you can use it to tie a bunch of herbs together next time you make soup ... please don't forget to take off the tag though if you do ... I don't trust printer ink to qualify as a food group.
Anyway, I hope you like them. You can be sure there will be a few keeping your parcel company while it journeys with the postman.
SO ... As all return customers now get a 5% discount card included with their promo 'hello/bonjour/with love/thank you' pack ... if you have purchased from me before ~ or even if you have not - and just can't resist free stuff, or you love snail mail that is not for Bill [gee I wish he would get his own post box!] ... just pop me a digital mail with your name & post address to order@elodie.biz with 'I love Handmade & Snail Mail' in the heading, & I will be sure to send you out a promo 'hello/bonjour/with love/thank you' pack as fast as the snails will carry it.
p.s
Disclaimer or what-have-you :- I promise not to use, sell, or even store your name, email or post details. I will not send you spam, or add you to any kind of mailing list. I sure as heck will not be selling your details to anyone, or any thing. In fact I will be chucking out all details as soon as I have written the address on the envelope. Cross my heart & kiss my elbow.
One day I may have a mailing list for newsletters - but not today - so you are safe from spammy harm.
Happy Handmade Love
xoxo
It's not actually getting done the things I need to get done ... & it's just enjoying doing random crafty, & creative things.
I suppose you could call it research, or 'getting your craft on' ... but as I really should be doing something else, I call it productive procrastinating.
With such, I have been spending a bit of time playing around with packaging ideas for my two micro businesses, i made this for you ... & then some. It has always been a bit of an issue for me. Do you just throw a business card into the parcel, or do you include a personal note? Do you include freebies? How do you let people know that you appreciate their custom & would love for you to tell their friends about what you do, & hopefully/maybe come back one day? How do you give a customer the same gooey feeling that they get when they walk into their favorite bricks & mortar store, when they open their parcel from your online store?
I have been lucky enough to get quite a few postcards and the like printed for free of late, and I have started including them in the parcels. But that was simply not enough for my liking. I wanted to make a little song and dance about saying 'Thank You' when a customer opens the parcel.
This is what I have come up with for now.
It includes some business cards and postcards and a fridge magnet or two, from both of my shops, [cross promotion can't hurt right?]
As well as a Thank You / Discount card for return customers, & potentially any other bits & pieces that take my fancy.
madeit.com.au has recently had a big upgrade and now includes customer codes, so you can enter a special code [provided by individual shops] at the checkout for your discount. Way cool! So I made a special Thank You card that I can write a note on, that also has a return customer discount code printed on it. That code is valid for both shops, can be used over & over again, & will never expire! It is my way of sharing the handmade love.
But the bit I like the most is the gift tags I made. They are all hand cut from salvaged kraft board, with a hand cut sticker made from paper that I printed, and then stamped myself. I am kinda proud of them. And because I don't write on the back of them, they are also a handy free gift tag for you! Even the string is certified food grade, so you can use it to tie a bunch of herbs together next time you make soup ... please don't forget to take off the tag though if you do ... I don't trust printer ink to qualify as a food group.
Anyway, I hope you like them. You can be sure there will be a few keeping your parcel company while it journeys with the postman.
SO ... As all return customers now get a 5% discount card included with their promo 'hello/bonjour/with love/thank you' pack ... if you have purchased from me before ~ or even if you have not - and just can't resist free stuff, or you love snail mail that is not for Bill [gee I wish he would get his own post box!] ... just pop me a digital mail with your name & post address to order@elodie.biz with 'I love Handmade & Snail Mail' in the heading, & I will be sure to send you out a promo 'hello/bonjour/with love/thank you' pack as fast as the snails will carry it.
p.s
Disclaimer or what-have-you :- I promise not to use, sell, or even store your name, email or post details. I will not send you spam, or add you to any kind of mailing list. I sure as heck will not be selling your details to anyone, or any thing. In fact I will be chucking out all details as soon as I have written the address on the envelope. Cross my heart & kiss my elbow.
One day I may have a mailing list for newsletters - but not today - so you are safe from spammy harm.
Happy Handmade Love
xoxo
Wednesday, July 17
The human condition part 1.
One thing I am grateful for, is that you can't take away, steal, destroy, harm, or kill memories.
Memories are beautiful and private things that no one can touch.
Memories are beautiful and private things that no one can touch.
They may change and alter over time to suit your needs, but they are still as real as any event that caused them. Maybe more-so.
And things may not always turn out as you plan, or hope, or even as you dream and wish.
They will turn out how they were meant to be however ... or so they say.
They will turn out how they were meant to be however ... or so they say.
My hopes and dreams of life in Europe may have be beaten to a bloody pulp, but I can still feel the cobble stones under my feet. And I can still feel like I am floating around the steeply staired streets of Montmartre in a dream ... whenever my heart allows. I can still feel the light ... smell, and taste the air of a balmy and magical afternoon in Venezia. (But then again, I have the suspicion that all moments in Venezia are magical.)
Those memories will never be erased.
I can be there any time I want.
Sure ... time may be linear if you believe in the thermodynamic laws of entropy ... But memories and hearts are not.
Phew! Lucky!
... and if memories ever fade, there is always photographs.
Much hand made love xoxox
Monday, July 15
Hand Made Love
I love that so many crafts are experiencing a renaissance. It tickles me pink! Bloody heck even macramé is 'cool' again! I remember making pot hangers in primary school! I love it! And Granny squares! Wow! Who would have thought our grungy opp shop and street finds to furnish our inner city flats in the late 80's early 90's - loved and/or hand made by our Nonna's, to be abandoned by our parents - would become an adored 'style' by the next round of generational 'hipsters', and that all those Saturday mornings spent crafting on the lounge room floor in your P.J's, or in your mums sewing cabinet 'messing up the threads', would actually lead to something beautiful.
There has been some talk of late (even bitchy heated debate by some in social media circles) about what hand made is. People do like to define things and put them in boxes after all, and that in itself is not altogether a bad thing.
And I have found that when we are talking and/or thinking about making or buying 'hand made', sometimes things like fair trade, local, green, eco, sustainable, et cetera ... words like this often get thrown around at the same time as 'hand made'. Which is great! It gets people thinking.
This gets me to thinking about my supplies for my hand made items. Are they fitting into what it means to me, to be labeled and put in the same box as hand made? Is the wool for my latest granny square project truly local? Or have I just bought it from my local mega craft shop? Is it shawn from Australian sheep, and milled in an Australian knitting mill? Are my cushion inserts made from environmentally friendly materials? Are they made in Australia? Are my fabrics made in sustainable and responsible ways? I suppose we can only do our best to answer these questions for ourselves.
All of which leads to somewhat harder questions ... Like, what is truly handmade?
What is the difference between piecing something together, or decorating it, or creating something from 'scratch'?
Did you bake the cake if you used a packet mix? Or only if you grew the wheat to grind the flour, and raised the chickens to lay the eggs?
It's awesome that you can get so many organic and sustainable materials and supplies theses days, and the internet has made it so easy to reach suppliers and buy specialist materials. But is it ok to embellish or decorate a T-shirt purchased from your local Kmart and call it 'handmade'?
In light of the recent incidents in Bangladesh, (which is only bringing these cruelties to our attention again, (because it ain't the first time) but it does not really effect us enough to be changing our ways,) and from what I know of factory workers, and of conditions in factory settings in most parts of the world (including piece workers and out workers in our own sweet land, and we won't go into the exploits of 'chain' employees at all right now) ... I tend to think not. Phew!
So is it important to me, that what I call 'hand made' is the same as what others call 'hand made'? Probably not. There is room in this world for all types. And there is no reason that we can't all play nice.
So maybe, more importantly, I should be asking myself ... Is it important to me, that what I make with my own hands, is made with the best sourced fabrics, materials and bits that I can find?
Is "local, sustainable, eco friendly, responsible, fair trade" and other concepts such as these, important to me when gathering materials for my hand made creations? I think 'fuck yeah!' is putting it mildly :)
At least it gets us all thinking. and considering things a bit more.
Mindfulness is a brilliant thing, if only a first (yet constant) step.
Here is a link to a what I think is the best wool mill around :)
https://bendigowoollenmills.com.au/
https://bendigowoollenmills.com.au/
If you are out that way do drop in, because they have lots of specials bins there and stuff that they don't sell online ... Like Australian 100% wool stuffing for stuffing your wool felt and other such projects, as well as wool for spinning, dying, or felting yourself, as well as a stack of beautiful yarns for knitting and crochet et cetera.
Feel free to leave a comment about what 'hand made' means to you, or maybe you know of a great local supplier that you want to support by sharing a link :)
Happy hand made love everyone!
Xoxo
Monday, May 13
Last Night ...
Last night I was thinking ...
I didn't learn to be a photographer by thinking about it or 'designing images' in my head. I became a photographer by doing it. Taking lots & lots of photos. All kinds of images with all kinds of cameras & film, (8mm, instamatic, polaroid, 35mm, 6x6, 5x4, even 8x10) but it took a few years, & some amazing tutoring before I found 'my thing'. I found my own way of making images, that only I could make, & that I only made because they were me. I did not care if anyone else enjoyed them or not, there were images I made for myself, that were a part of myself … So when I put them out there in the world, I was surprised that other people liked them too. The same went for my later work with ceramics & glass. It takes a while before you find yourself in a new medium, & when you do, WoW! You really know it!
I have been sewing at home & selling online, for almost 2 years (not the sewing part, that's something I never remember not doing) - & now I am starting to let myself go, trust myself & make something for myself, & of myself. Sure, I love making things for kids, & I may not stop doing that. Creating fabric things for babies & toddlers was born out of making things for my newly arrived family members, & the fact that my kiln was in storage while I built my house (I had to make something in the evenings!) … & it all kind of snowballed from there. But it was always about making things for other people & thinking about what they would like. Maybe that's why I called it 'i made this for you' …
So I have started a new adventure in fabric that I am calling '… & then some'. Which is simply me creating things with the materials & methods that I love & adore.
I have been working away behind the scenes getting things ready, to put it all out there in the world. (Kind of in the same way you prepare your work for an exhibition.)
I have been collecting fabrics, preparing my website, (well, not so much preparing, but more like re-structuring it & making quite a few dramatic changes in it's map.) Making business cards & post labels, working on a new Facebook page & adding to my other social media … But all the while waiting for posh new woven fabric labels for the new creations themselves to arrive.
I waited two months to get those babies! (There were some issues of communication, with the manufacturer taking 5 to 6 days to reply to emails … so it was a very slow back & forth. *Humph*) Anyway … I did a pretty big happy dance when they arrived, because it symbolised the real beginnings of this new path … plus now I can really start to make things!
So my Mothers Day was doing just that. I cut & I sewed … my daughter spent the day catching up on homework. (p.s year 12 sucks! But I am ever so proud of her just for doing it!) I have made my prototypes / patterns. I got my method worked out, & I am rearing to go!
Did I ever tell you that I sew with an antique Singer?
I adore that darling thing, but she does not have a zipper foot … needless to say I am doing things the hard way ... but that's the way I like it. I have also busted out & given the overlocker a good going over. Seriously, that thing had not seen the light of day in 10 years or more! But me thinks sometimes an overlocker is the only way to go, so put back in service she is… But of course my Singer will always be my preferred machine, because nothing else sews like she does!
So what is this ramble really about? Maybe I should just say that, I am really looking forward to showing you what I have been up too, & opening my new made it shop in about a week or so … stay tuned …
xoxo
P.S. While I was awaiting the fabric labels, I made a bunch of new stuff for the little ones - now my i made this for you madeit shop is overflowing with handmade goodness!
www.madeit.com.au/imadethisforyou
I didn't learn to be a photographer by thinking about it or 'designing images' in my head. I became a photographer by doing it. Taking lots & lots of photos. All kinds of images with all kinds of cameras & film, (8mm, instamatic, polaroid, 35mm, 6x6, 5x4, even 8x10) but it took a few years, & some amazing tutoring before I found 'my thing'. I found my own way of making images, that only I could make, & that I only made because they were me. I did not care if anyone else enjoyed them or not, there were images I made for myself, that were a part of myself … So when I put them out there in the world, I was surprised that other people liked them too. The same went for my later work with ceramics & glass. It takes a while before you find yourself in a new medium, & when you do, WoW! You really know it!
I have been sewing at home & selling online, for almost 2 years (not the sewing part, that's something I never remember not doing) - & now I am starting to let myself go, trust myself & make something for myself, & of myself. Sure, I love making things for kids, & I may not stop doing that. Creating fabric things for babies & toddlers was born out of making things for my newly arrived family members, & the fact that my kiln was in storage while I built my house (I had to make something in the evenings!) … & it all kind of snowballed from there. But it was always about making things for other people & thinking about what they would like. Maybe that's why I called it 'i made this for you' …
So I have started a new adventure in fabric that I am calling '… & then some'. Which is simply me creating things with the materials & methods that I love & adore.
I have been working away behind the scenes getting things ready, to put it all out there in the world. (Kind of in the same way you prepare your work for an exhibition.)
I have been collecting fabrics, preparing my website, (well, not so much preparing, but more like re-structuring it & making quite a few dramatic changes in it's map.) Making business cards & post labels, working on a new Facebook page & adding to my other social media … But all the while waiting for posh new woven fabric labels for the new creations themselves to arrive.
I waited two months to get those babies! (There were some issues of communication, with the manufacturer taking 5 to 6 days to reply to emails … so it was a very slow back & forth. *Humph*) Anyway … I did a pretty big happy dance when they arrived, because it symbolised the real beginnings of this new path … plus now I can really start to make things!
So my Mothers Day was doing just that. I cut & I sewed … my daughter spent the day catching up on homework. (p.s year 12 sucks! But I am ever so proud of her just for doing it!) I have made my prototypes / patterns. I got my method worked out, & I am rearing to go!
Did I ever tell you that I sew with an antique Singer?
I adore that darling thing, but she does not have a zipper foot … needless to say I am doing things the hard way ... but that's the way I like it. I have also busted out & given the overlocker a good going over. Seriously, that thing had not seen the light of day in 10 years or more! But me thinks sometimes an overlocker is the only way to go, so put back in service she is… But of course my Singer will always be my preferred machine, because nothing else sews like she does!
So what is this ramble really about? Maybe I should just say that, I am really looking forward to showing you what I have been up too, & opening my new made it shop in about a week or so … stay tuned …
xoxo
P.S. While I was awaiting the fabric labels, I made a bunch of new stuff for the little ones - now my i made this for you madeit shop is overflowing with handmade goodness!
www.madeit.com.au/imadethisforyou
Sunday, May 5
Baby Tree ~ With love
Hi all,
I know, I have not had much to say for a while, but this is something I really want you all to know about.
There is this amazing human being by the name of Koky Saly.
He builds schools.
Yep - he actually raises money, & goes out there into the world & builds schools, where there was not one before. Amazing!
He has developed a not for profit organisation called Baby Tree Projects - you can visit them on facebook here. Or on their website here.
Koky & his dearly departed sister Sophia are also the masterminds behind the social enterprise of Boy & Bee ... it is just starting out so you can makes friends with them here on the ye book of faces, or visit the website here.
Koky is such a beautiful person, & I'm sure if you ever got the chance to meet him you would want to do all that you can to help him on his quest for a more beautiful planet for all humans to live, with love & happiness.
In fact - you can meet him!
Here are some amazing videos of Koky & his Baby Tree.
So ... the awesome news for you is, it is soooo easy to get involved & help make the world a better place. You don't even have to move from where you are right now!
Baby Tree Projects has recently announced their partnership with an fantastic Australian owned business called Etiko Fairtrade. Which is awesome news!
Etiko have offered all BabyTree supporters 10% off any of their amazing eco-friendly & ethically made products - & on top of that will donate 10% to BabyTree!
10% Off for you + 10% donated to BabyTree.
How cool is that? Very, I would say!
But wait there's more...
In the month of May for every pair of sneakers they sell online, they will give a pair of sneakers to a kid in the BabyTree communities. Koky will personally deliver the sneakers at the end of May! Brilliant!
What are you waiting for?
Koky is making it too easy for us to change the world while sitting at a computer - So why wouldn't you spread some love & happiness, & make the world a better place for us all to be ... & get some cool stuff while you are at it?
Here is the promo add that is going around for this super cool deal - feel free to share it on ye book of faces, or pin it to whatever board you like! ... Maybe you could even get a little birdy to send out the message...
And here is the link to Etiko Fairtrade so you can go buy some stuff, & change the world at the same time!! http://www.fairtradeshop.com.au/
Thanks everyone for watching, & listening ... It really does mean a lot!
Spread the word.
Stacks of love to you,
'Til next time!
e.
XxX
Tuesday, April 2
The truth, the whole truth, & nothing but ...
The truth is, I live with fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue.
A rubbish diagnosis I know. Not to offend others with the same diagnosis, but it really is a mystery box syndrome. It is not a definite 'We can see this, so you must have this' kind of thing to be diagnosed with. It is more of a - 'Well you don't have MS, or Lupus, or Bone cancer [just a few of the things I was tested for] ... so we will gather all of your symptoms & stick then in this mystery box we call Fibromyalgia ... off you go ... have a nice day.'
I am lucky that I ditched the 'regular doctors' opinions [being mostly of the 'Ohh it is just the fibro - now go away' kind] & sought the help of a wonderful naturopath who was wise enough to test me for the MTHFR gene. As 9 out of 10 of her fibro patients have the mutation on the gene [Coincidence? I think not] which basically means that I don't have the enzyme to process folate... & folate being crucial for the production of dopamine & for the serotonin receptors of the brain to work properly, this test result has solved a lot of issues for me that the doctors just wanted to throw a stack of chemicals at because 'they might help', without actually knowing what the problem was. Anyway I now take a form of folate everyday that has already been broken down by the enzyme I am missing, & after a while my head is almost back to normal ... whatever 'normal' is. :)
Anyway I have had a hell couple of years coming to terms with what is actually going on with my body. Some days I feel ok, others are wrapped in pain ... but creating / craft & the madeit community have been my saviour. Even though I had all the best intentions of carrying on my ceramic / pottery / glass work when I designed & built my house & studio ... somewhere in the past, just before I was finished building, & as I ready to 'get back to work', this fibromyalgia 'thing' came along & put a stop to it all. So rather than resign myself to feeling horrid & watching tv, I started again using the skills I have always had to create, just a slight diversion from the heavy industrial processes that I was accustom to, & into something lighter. Textiles. Quilts. And the like.
When I was making ceramics many moons ago - it did take some years for me to find my own style ... & when I finally found it, I was ready to move & build a bigger studio. But that type of creative work did not continue thanks to my body.
Over the last few years I have had moments where I felt I was going in the right direction with textiles, only to find myself getting caught making what I thought others would want [because they purchased them] - rather than making what I love to make so much, that I am compelled to create it. Only now am I starting to find my own style with textiles. I suppose this is why I have decided to open another madeit shop soon, to be closer to where I want & need to be.
I suppose this post is just some words put together, that may help people understand me & why craft is so important to me. Why I may seem to be sporadic in listing my creations for sale on madeit. Why I don't do makets anymore eventhough I would love to. Why I don't encourage custom orders [as I do not know how my body will feel from one day to the next, & I can not guarantee a completion date.] But maybe I just needed to put it all out there. To spill the beans & stop feeling so alone with this mystery box that never truly leaves my side, & let others with this rubbish diagnosis know that they are not totally alone either ... even if it feels like it most days.
Now, if only I could write about my heart, & make it seem as simple as this post too.
x
A rubbish diagnosis I know. Not to offend others with the same diagnosis, but it really is a mystery box syndrome. It is not a definite 'We can see this, so you must have this' kind of thing to be diagnosed with. It is more of a - 'Well you don't have MS, or Lupus, or Bone cancer [just a few of the things I was tested for] ... so we will gather all of your symptoms & stick then in this mystery box we call Fibromyalgia ... off you go ... have a nice day.'
I am lucky that I ditched the 'regular doctors' opinions [being mostly of the 'Ohh it is just the fibro - now go away' kind] & sought the help of a wonderful naturopath who was wise enough to test me for the MTHFR gene. As 9 out of 10 of her fibro patients have the mutation on the gene [Coincidence? I think not] which basically means that I don't have the enzyme to process folate... & folate being crucial for the production of dopamine & for the serotonin receptors of the brain to work properly, this test result has solved a lot of issues for me that the doctors just wanted to throw a stack of chemicals at because 'they might help', without actually knowing what the problem was. Anyway I now take a form of folate everyday that has already been broken down by the enzyme I am missing, & after a while my head is almost back to normal ... whatever 'normal' is. :)
Anyway I have had a hell couple of years coming to terms with what is actually going on with my body. Some days I feel ok, others are wrapped in pain ... but creating / craft & the madeit community have been my saviour. Even though I had all the best intentions of carrying on my ceramic / pottery / glass work when I designed & built my house & studio ... somewhere in the past, just before I was finished building, & as I ready to 'get back to work', this fibromyalgia 'thing' came along & put a stop to it all. So rather than resign myself to feeling horrid & watching tv, I started again using the skills I have always had to create, just a slight diversion from the heavy industrial processes that I was accustom to, & into something lighter. Textiles. Quilts. And the like.
When I was making ceramics many moons ago - it did take some years for me to find my own style ... & when I finally found it, I was ready to move & build a bigger studio. But that type of creative work did not continue thanks to my body.
Over the last few years I have had moments where I felt I was going in the right direction with textiles, only to find myself getting caught making what I thought others would want [because they purchased them] - rather than making what I love to make so much, that I am compelled to create it. Only now am I starting to find my own style with textiles. I suppose this is why I have decided to open another madeit shop soon, to be closer to where I want & need to be.
I suppose this post is just some words put together, that may help people understand me & why craft is so important to me. Why I may seem to be sporadic in listing my creations for sale on madeit. Why I don't do makets anymore eventhough I would love to. Why I don't encourage custom orders [as I do not know how my body will feel from one day to the next, & I can not guarantee a completion date.] But maybe I just needed to put it all out there. To spill the beans & stop feeling so alone with this mystery box that never truly leaves my side, & let others with this rubbish diagnosis know that they are not totally alone either ... even if it feels like it most days.
Now, if only I could write about my heart, & make it seem as simple as this post too.
x
Sunday, March 24
The Breakfast Club
This weeks front page picks on madeit will be based on Film titles ! Hooray!
I am looking forward to the seller suggestions & seeing what films people love.
My favorite film these days is Lawrence of Arabia, it makes me so happy to watch it & I have no idea why, I just adore that film. It has become my go-to film on a blue day.
But favorite films do not always make for finding awesome items on madeit ... So many amazing films ... how can I choose just one?
So I have chosen John Hughes' 1985 film, The Breakfast Club because of the yummy items I found on madeit, not to mention that it was one of the most influential films for me while growing up.
The quote from David Bowie's song 'Changes' shown at the start of the film, always got me feeling much better about my teenage angst ...
"And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through"
... & whenever I hear the Simple Minds track 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' - it still stops me in my tracks & brings a few tears.
So to brighten up all that heaviness of teenage memories, here are some awesome Breakfast Club finds from the talented made it sellers for you to enjoy ... Gee I love felt play food! Bon appétit!
I am looking forward to the seller suggestions & seeing what films people love.
My favorite film these days is Lawrence of Arabia, it makes me so happy to watch it & I have no idea why, I just adore that film. It has become my go-to film on a blue day.
But favorite films do not always make for finding awesome items on madeit ... So many amazing films ... how can I choose just one?
So I have chosen John Hughes' 1985 film, The Breakfast Club because of the yummy items I found on madeit, not to mention that it was one of the most influential films for me while growing up.
The quote from David Bowie's song 'Changes' shown at the start of the film, always got me feeling much better about my teenage angst ...
"And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through"
... & whenever I hear the Simple Minds track 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' - it still stops me in my tracks & brings a few tears.
So to brighten up all that heaviness of teenage memories, here are some awesome Breakfast Club finds from the talented made it sellers for you to enjoy ... Gee I love felt play food! Bon appétit!
- "Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are.
You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess ... and a criminal. - Does that answer your question?
Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast Club."
Wednesday, March 20
Something New
What does a craft maker do when she finds herself at the end of a long & drawn out break up that shattered her heart? Well ... she could resign herself to becoming a blithering mess on the floor, or she could focus her energy & create something new - for herself.
So that is what I have decided to do ... create something new, just for me.
As a maker of crafty things & a seller on madeit, I don't often make things for myself [not including building a house of course] - In fact I can't remember the last time I made something crafty for myself to keep.
I have had lots of ideas over the last few years of things I wanted to make for myself - A selvedge quilt is one thing I am really looking forward to creating, but I have a little while to go yet before I have enough selvedges saved to satisfy myself.
I taught myself to crochet late last year with the help of some wonderful youtube videos [Thank goodness for the digital age, eh?] Then last week I saw a crochet blanket that was made with 'a granny square a day' - for a year! Brilliant! I have been wanting to make a blanket for my bed for quite some time in brilliant cherry red wool, [but I had purchased 5 ply wool by mistake, so it never really took off.]
Then yesterday my mum came to visit. She had bought with her some red 8 ply wool to swap with me for my 5 ply stash. Mum is a brilliant crocheter, but she prefers the 5 ply, so swap we did.
Last night I used my new 8 ply wool, that mum had picked up in Bendigo at the Woollen Mill, to make my first granny square ... & so the project has begun.
I love making granny squares & it was admittedly hard to not make another straight away - but this is a year long project, I've got to stick to the rules! This is a project about healing, love, & giving back to myself, blah, blah, blah ... & anyway, I think 365 days [364 now] should be long enough time for my heart to recover ... So this time next year I will have a lovely new blanket on my bed to show for it ... just in time for winter :) I figure I will do them all in red, but just using different granny square patterns ... kind of like a sampler.
I found some lovely granny square patterns on pinterest last night that don't look too complicated for an amateur crocheter like myself, [again the wonders of the digital age.] There is a lovely collection of them on a Czech website ... & although I can't read a word, craft translates across all languages does it not? If you are interested I have linked the website here. & with thanks to my mum, I have the most beautiful Australian wool to create them with!
If you are into knitting or crochet, or some other type of yarn based craft, I can not recommend enough the Bendigo Woollen Mill. They do mail order [great if you don't live near Bendigo like me] & they make the most beautiful wool I have ever used! & it's cheap! What can be better than Australian pure wool, & shopping locally? Give them a call & ask them to send you a colour chart, it has little samples attached & is a very cool thing to have.
So here is my first square. I won't bore you with a new one every day, but I will keep you updated now & then on how it is going. Stay tuned for Easter next year when I will reveal the finished project ... & a much happier heart ... hand made with love <3
xx
P.S Wikipedia says ~ An amateur (French amateur "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover") is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science in a non-professional or unpaid manner. Amateurs often have little or no formal training in their pursuits, and many are autodidacts (self-taught).
That is me alright ... an amateur ... a lover of creating & all things crafty!
So that is what I have decided to do ... create something new, just for me.
As a maker of crafty things & a seller on madeit, I don't often make things for myself [not including building a house of course] - In fact I can't remember the last time I made something crafty for myself to keep.
I have had lots of ideas over the last few years of things I wanted to make for myself - A selvedge quilt is one thing I am really looking forward to creating, but I have a little while to go yet before I have enough selvedges saved to satisfy myself.
I taught myself to crochet late last year with the help of some wonderful youtube videos [Thank goodness for the digital age, eh?] Then last week I saw a crochet blanket that was made with 'a granny square a day' - for a year! Brilliant! I have been wanting to make a blanket for my bed for quite some time in brilliant cherry red wool, [but I had purchased 5 ply wool by mistake, so it never really took off.]
Then yesterday my mum came to visit. She had bought with her some red 8 ply wool to swap with me for my 5 ply stash. Mum is a brilliant crocheter, but she prefers the 5 ply, so swap we did.
Last night I used my new 8 ply wool, that mum had picked up in Bendigo at the Woollen Mill, to make my first granny square ... & so the project has begun.
I love making granny squares & it was admittedly hard to not make another straight away - but this is a year long project, I've got to stick to the rules! This is a project about healing, love, & giving back to myself, blah, blah, blah ... & anyway, I think 365 days [364 now] should be long enough time for my heart to recover ... So this time next year I will have a lovely new blanket on my bed to show for it ... just in time for winter :) I figure I will do them all in red, but just using different granny square patterns ... kind of like a sampler.
I found some lovely granny square patterns on pinterest last night that don't look too complicated for an amateur crocheter like myself, [again the wonders of the digital age.] There is a lovely collection of them on a Czech website ... & although I can't read a word, craft translates across all languages does it not? If you are interested I have linked the website here. & with thanks to my mum, I have the most beautiful Australian wool to create them with!
If you are into knitting or crochet, or some other type of yarn based craft, I can not recommend enough the Bendigo Woollen Mill. They do mail order [great if you don't live near Bendigo like me] & they make the most beautiful wool I have ever used! & it's cheap! What can be better than Australian pure wool, & shopping locally? Give them a call & ask them to send you a colour chart, it has little samples attached & is a very cool thing to have.
So here is my first square. I won't bore you with a new one every day, but I will keep you updated now & then on how it is going. Stay tuned for Easter next year when I will reveal the finished project ... & a much happier heart ... hand made with love <3
xx
P.S Wikipedia says ~ An amateur (French amateur "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover") is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science in a non-professional or unpaid manner. Amateurs often have little or no formal training in their pursuits, and many are autodidacts (self-taught).
That is me alright ... an amateur ... a lover of creating & all things crafty!
Friday, March 15
The Old Curiosity Shop
This weeks front page picks on madeit.com.au, have been based on Book Titles.
It was a real joy to read some of the sellers suggestions, & getting to know some of their favorite books.
So far we have had '50 Shades Of Grey', 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', 'The Lord Of The Rings' & 'About a Boy' ... Who knows what tomorrow's last day of Book Week will bring?
It was a real joy to read some of the sellers suggestions, & getting to know some of their favorite books.
So far we have had '50 Shades Of Grey', 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', 'The Lord Of The Rings' & 'About a Boy' ... Who knows what tomorrow's last day of Book Week will bring?
I have chosen some picks myself to share with you based on The Old Curiosity Shop, by Charles Dickens.
If I had my own Dickensian curiosity shop I would be sure to include these little lovelies ...
Lucy all at sea by Annabella67
The wonderful madeit.com.au seller Mozzie & Mac have compiled their own picks list based on the 'Enchanted Wood' by Enid Blyton, you can see it here.
Now ... go read a book!
xx
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