Novelty Brooch Friday - February

This month I am so pleased that Cam has agreed to donate one of her wonderful, cheerful handmade rainbow brooches for this month's Novelty Brooch Friday.  I have followed Cam on Instagram for a while now, I love her colourful designs and marveled at her recent recovery from a lung transplant.  I have always told my family that I want my organs to be donated and following Cam's story has reinforced my decision and started the conversation again.

I asked Cam some questions about her work, inspirations and also her involvement in organ donor organisations, raising money and awareness of such an important decision we should all consider.

You've had your craft/arts business selling your work since 2009, can you tell us what motivated you to start your own business and shop?

I've loved to craft since I was a little girl - anything that involved colour and mess was right up my alley. It was just a hobby throughout school and early adulthood. I taught myself to sew in my late 20's and started making things for myself along with my family and friends.

In 2007, I had to take a bit of an early retirement from my career due to my lung disease, so all of a sudden, I had a lot of spare time on my hands to indulge in my craft, and improve my skills. I'd already started my CurlyPops blog by then, and lots of people started asking whether they could buy some of the things that I'd created. Opening the business was a bit of a natural evolution from that.

 Your work is fun and colourful, and has fun motifs; can you tell us what inspires you when creating new work?

I'm inspired by colour and pattern. Pattern mainly comes from things that I see in my day to day life. I particularly love metal and concrete block fence patterns from the 60's and 70's, but I also notice patterns in things like metal grates in footpaths, and pattern and texture in vintage glass doors. Vintage quilts are also a great inspiration.

I don't take anything too seriously - for me designing is fun, and I think that's why my creations end up that way!

You work over many areas, from fabric design, jewellery to soft toys, how do you find working across all areas? 

I tend to think of myself as an attention deficit crafter. I like small, short projects that I can whip up in a few hours (hence why I don't make quilts). I could never tie myself down to just one type of crafting, or one product range, as I just love making everything. I've been told that having such a giant and varied product range is not a great business model, but for me it's fun, and that's the way I like it.

My passion really is fabric design - when that first printed sample arrives, I'm like a kid at Christmas all over again!

Recently (last year) Cam had a lung transplant and has been fundraising and raising awareness of organ donation.  Can you tell us a bit about the Tour de Transplant and some of the other campaigns you are involved in?

After more than two years on oxygen 24 hours a day, and more than 18 months on the transplant waiting list, I received the call last February that saved my life. I am so grateful to my donor and their family that I want to do everything I can to give back. I'll never be able to thank them personally, but I just hope that they know how grateful l really am.

One of the ways I'm giving back is via the Heart and Lung TransplantTrust (HLTTV) which is based at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne (where I had my transplant). I'm a member of the management committee and one of the joint editors of our Circulator Newsletter. This year we're running our biggest ever fundraiser, the Tour de Transplant. It's an 1100km bike ride around Victoria (1km for every heart and lung transplant recipient at the Alfred). The tour is taking place from the 22nd - 30th March 2014 and is being led by cycling legend Phil Anderson. In conjunction with the Tour de Transplant, we are also running the Tour de Chat where transplant recipients and bike riders will visit schools and community groups to give presentations about organ and tissue donation. It's a mammoth effort that has been put in by everyone at the HLTTV - we are all 100% volunteers.

There are lots of ways to contribute - you can sponsor a rider, or a non-rider (like me), you can come along to one of the fundraising dinners that will be taking place along the route, and if you're part of a school or a community group, you can get in contact and book in for one of our Tour de Chat sessions (these are sponsored by DonateLife and there is no cost to any organisation).

I also be doing some volunteer work during DonateLife Week 2014 which runs from Sunday 23rd February to Sunday 2nd March.

On Friday February 28th I'll be taking part in the FilmLife Project workshops. Young filmmakers have the opportunity to learn how to make a film from the professionals, covering the subject of organ and tissue donation. The workshops are running in Melbourne and Sydney and there may still be place available for anyone between 18 and 30 who would like to take part.

You can watch last years films here, the winning entry was brilliant!

You have been a part of the crafting and arts community for many years now, can you tell us a few makers that you admire and inspire your work?

Gosh.... where do I even start? Joining this community has been one of the best things that I have ever done! I now have new friends online and offline all over Australia and the world. I think the people in the community that I most admire are those that I have learned the most from. The lessons from each of these ladies has been different (and they probably don't even realise how much I've learned from them). So for all sorts of different reasons, I would have to say Cathy from Tinniegirl, Nikki from YouSew Girl / Nicole Mallalieu Design, Liz from Betty Jo Designs / Gleaners Inc, and Nic from Yardage Design......and for inspiration, I would have to nominate everyone in my Instagram feed (I'm addicted to IG and I love it)

So for your chance to win this cute brooch just post a picture of yourself on Instagram with your favourite brooch, entries can be submitted on any Friday in February up to and including Friday 28th February with the hash tag #noveltybroochfriday.  I will announce the winner (randomly chosen) on Monday 3^rd March. Open to everyone, you can enter as many times as you like, either new or vintage brooches. 

*If you are a designer or sell vintage brooches (worldwide) and wish to donate a brooch for an upcoming month and have your shop showcased, please contact me at tunabake@hotmail.com 

Novelty Brooch Friday - January winner

Helloooooooo 2014! And welcome another Novelty Brooch Friday and winner for January.

This month the brooch up for grabs was this wonderful, colourful and all-round cute cactus brooch, made by Sally of Pixels and Picas.

Thank you so much Sally for your donation, I hope everyone had a chance to see her wonderful work.

And so, the winner for January is:

Congratulations Rebecca!! What a cute brooch! If you could email me the address you would like your brooch to be sent to tunbake@hotmail.com I will post you your wonderful prize.

And so we are already a few days into February, that means a new brooch and a new prize so stay tuned, I can't wait to see everyone's brooches this Friday.

Thank you everyone for making Novelty Brooch Friday so much fun, I have met so many lovely people and seen so many fantastic brooches both vintage and handmade, there are some very passionate and talented people out there.

So if you're a brooch maker/designer or vintage seller of brooches and would like to donate a brooch to our #noveltybroochfriday giveaway on Instagram, and have your shop featured, please email me with a little info about your designs, shop and we'll get you a spot on the calendar. tunabake@hotmail.com

Until Friday.......x

Novelty Brooch Friday - January

Happy 2014 and a new year of Novelty Brooch Friday!

This month we are featuring a fantastic crafts woman who creates the cutest brooches from glass.  I first discovered Sally’s work through her Instagram account @pixelsandpicas and loved the material she uses and the subjects: cute wolves, birds, cactuses and watermelon’s to name a few – definitely ‘novelty’.  

Recently Sally has launched her Etsy store Pixels and Picas where you can see an ever growing collection of brooches and pendants.  Thank you Sally for agreeing to answer 5 questions to give us an insight into your creative process and donating this fantastic cactus brooch to giveaway to one lucky brooch lover in January.

When did you start making jewellery?

I've always been creative and made things and it was about two and a half years ago that I first made some little birds out of glass and turned these into brooches. I originally created them as I had lots of small pieces of glass left from some bigger glass projects and thought this would be a good way to use it up. Also I found the smaller pieces gave me the opportunity to hone my skills in creating with glass and experiment more without a big outlay that bigger projects would need. I've found I now focus mainly on the small pieces and really enjoy making them. It's a real buzz seeing someone wear one of my brooches.

Why do you work in glass and is it an easy material to work with?

Glass is an interesting medium to work with - I love the colours and the glossy finish it has once it has been fired. It's not always an easy material to work with and I've had many cuts and injuries from handling it, thankfully nothing too serious. Some colours are particularly difficult and splinter - my favourite red glass does this!

Each piece I make, I draw the basic shape onto the glass and then cut out using a glass cutter. I then refine the shape if necessary using a glass grinder and cut the extra pieces (such as beaks, eyes, wings, etc) using tile nippers. The glass is washed and then the project I'm working on is assembled and put into a kiln, where it is fused together in intense heat for many hours. The glass becomes very robust after this process. It's always a lovely surprise to see the glass once it has been through the fusing process as it changes physically and you never quite know how it will turn out.

What inspires you?

I am very inspired by colour both in nature and the man-made environment and most of my glass work is very bright and colourful.

I was very lucky to spend a bit of time in Barcelona years ago and saw a lot of Gaudi's work there which has been an influence on me ever since. After seeing Park Güell in particular and the amazing mosaic there, I was very keen to learn mosaic  which then lead me to then exploring glass as a medium many years later.  

Also I have a large library of art and craft books and and addiction to buying craft magazines and these constantly inspire me - often the concept of a new design comes from looking at these and converting the idea into glass. I look at felting, crocheting and sewing projects and think about how these will look in glass and go from there.

Are there any artist/crafts people you admire?

I love art and photography and my favourite artists range from Monet to Frida Kahlo to Banksy. I admire people who've taken the risk and are living the lives they have dreamed about.

I'm a member of BrisStyle and have met many clever, creative people I admire through my involvement in the BrisStyle markets. Seeing other artists and crafts people confidently creating and selling their work has helped me get out there and do the same. 

Your work has a sense of playfulness about it, is this intentional?

I work in a very corporate environment  as a graphic designer, which I do love but can be very restrictive regarding what I can and can't do regarding design. So creating whimsical things in my spare time is my way to go wild and have fun creatively. I love colour and when I look at the brooch collection I have made, it is very colourful - I guess it's where I break out of the constrains of what I do day to day and have some fun playing with colour and fun subject matter. 

Also I love to brighten up my clothes with a fun piece of jewellery and it's so nice to be able to say "I made it" when people ask where I bought it.  

So for your chance to win this cute brooch just post a picture of yourself on Instagram with your favourite brooch, entries can be submitted on Friday from now up to and including Friday 31st January with the hash tag #noveltybroochfriday.  We will announce the winner (randomly chosen) on Monday 3^rd February. Open to everyone, you can enter as many times as you like, either new or vintage brooches.

Erin and I aim to showcase those sellers of vintage brooches and designers of brooches we admire and love to wear ourselves.

*If you are a designer or sell vintage brooches (worldwide) and wish to donate a brooch for an upcoming month and have your shop showcased, please contact me at tunabake@hotmail.com 

Novelty Brooch Friday - December winner

It's coming to the end of the year already, Christmas is only a couple of weeks away and the holidays! aahhhh the holidays.  I have 2 whole weeks off - yippee!!! I hope you have some time with your friends and family as well.

Thank you for another great, albeit short December Novelty Brooch Friday. This months brooch was so kindly donated by Alison of My Red Scooter! (Instagram @my_red_scooter)

It gives us great pleasure to announce that the winner of the beautiful enamel flower brooch is.....

@turquoiseshoes!!! This fantastic brooch was randomly selected, CONGRATULATIONS!!

Please email Erin with your postal address and she'll send you your prize hopefully in time for a Christmas delivery. eaenglish (at) gmail (dot) com

Keep your eyes peeled for some amazing brooch giveaways in 2014! If you're a brooch maker/ designer or vintage seller that would like to donate a beautiful brooch to our giveaway and have your shop featured, please email me with a little info about your designs, shop or otherwise and we'll get you a spot on the calendar. tunabake@hotmail.com

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and look forward to discovering more brooch gems both vintage and handmade in 2014.

xx

Novelty Brooch Friday - December

This December Novelty Brooch Friday is close to Erin’s heart. If you're a regular reader of her blog, you will know just how much she loves where she lives; the Blue Mountains, as well as her passion for supporting local and independent businesses and ideas. So, it should come as no surprise that Erin is excited to be able to offer this stunning enamel brooch designed by local, and well known jewellery designer/maker, Alison of My RedScooter.

Below are 5 questions Erin asked Alison, to give us a bit more background to her label, her inspirations and loves.

How long has My Red Scooter been around for?

My Red Scooter started back in 2007. Like many, it was just something to do when at home with small children but quickly became more than a hobby. In recent times, I have decided to focus purely on women's accessories, more specifically vintage inspired necklaces, bracelets and rings handmade from gorgeous coloured resin.

 As a Mum of three, how do you manage to make time to get creative and crafty with MRS?

It is very difficult. I will admit that I am the first to let the housework slip and allow the folding build up in the interests of my business. Coffee, coffee and lots more coffee and I am a night owl so this helps me a lot. I do wish that I had more time during the day as I would be more productive. My list of crafty projects outside of My Red Scooter is very long and I hope to be able to spend some time just creating things "just because" over the Christmas break.

Do you see a resurgence in local and handmade shopping in your area? If so, it must be wonderful to be a part of that community.

Absolutely, this is wonderful for small, independent businesses. Certainly after the recent bushfires that devastated the Blue Mountains, many are more willing than ever to support small local designers. We are lucky to live in such a close knit and supportive community.

What are you most inspired by?

COLOUR! We are all guilty of wearing far too much black these days. I also love vintage lace, linen and fabric, enamel, chandelier crystals and old china. The simplicity of yesteryear inspires me to create comfortable, classic and affordable pieces. These days, life is busy, we are surrounded by too much stuff, technology and decisions. Accessorising should be easy, a collection of timeless pieces that you can wear with anything. You don't need to dress up to wear my pieces!

It must be a kick to see people walking around wearing your creations. What is the most rewarding aspect of your business?

Yes, I do smile when I see others wearing my pieces. It is very uplifting to know that others like what I do and wear my pieces year after year. One of the most rewarding things is seeing many a customer wearing my pieces for years not just a season.

To find out more about My Red Scooter: Facebook: facebook.com/myredscooter, Instagram: @my_red_scooter, website: myredscooter.com.au (It is currently being re-vamped and should be live soon).

So for your chance to win this cute brooch just post a picture of yourself on Instagram with your favourite brooch, entries can be submitted on Friday from now up to and including Friday 13th December with the hash tag #noveltybroochfriday. December is slightly different as we want to get this brooch to you before Christmas - what a gift! We will announce the winner (randomly chosen) on Monday 16th December. Open to everyone, you can enter as many times as you like, either new or vintage brooches.

Erin and I aim to showcase those sellers of vintage brooches and designers of brooches we admire and love to wear ourselves.

*If you are a designer or sell vintage brooches (worldwide) and wish to donate a brooch for an upcoming month and have your shop showcased, please contact me at tunabake@hotmail.com

Novelty Brooch Friday - November winner

How many? How many entries in November?

364!! 

This month we had a very cute vintage brooch kindly donated by Teresa from Bess Georgette for you to win. Thank you Teresa.

Thank you everyone for your entries and enjoying a bit of fun on a Friday and hey, the bonus of winning a cute brooch to add to your (i'm sure) ever increasing collections.

Selected by Random.org, November's winner is:

  

Laurie (Retroreporter) congratulations!! If you could email me your postal address, your cute fawn brooch will be forwarded to you shortly (tunabake@hotmail.com).

In the month of December we will be having a shorter time to enter so hopefully we can get your brooch to you before Christmas. Stay tuned this week for the brooch and the creator.

Thank you again everyone for entering and see you on Friday.

xx

Tunabake Turban Times

I know there are a lot of tutorials out there offering a step-by-step on how to tie a scarf but I found them a little confusing so just messed around and worked it out best for me. Maybe this small tutorial will give you the confidence to give it a go.

I tend to wear a scarf in a turban-style if I'm:

1. Having a bad hair day

2. Going out and want to do something different

You will need a large scarf, 80cm x 80cm is a good size for my big head and 2 strong bobby pins to hold the scarf in place (I'm a little paranoid it's going to fall off and I have been known to make a turban a little too high that I couldn't sit up straight in the car).

Fold the scarf in a triangle and place the long fold-side at the nape of your neck - all ghostly like.

Bring the 2 long sides to the front with the shorter still hanging down in front of your face.

Tie in a knot over the top and at the crown of your head securely.

Now bring the shorter side back over your head so you can now see.

And tie the long sides over the top of the shorter side.

Then to hide the long ends tuck them under the knot or just do a double knot and tuck the ends in, it's really up to you.

Secure in place with the bobby pins and you have yourself a simple style you can adapt depending on the size and shape of your scarf.  It is a little trickier with large rectangle scarves but It's fun to make them bigger and change the shape of the turban.

See it's not hard and the effect is a lot of fun.
xx