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Monday 30 April 2012

Run out of inspiration? Gawk here!!

Today I have stumbled across an absolute gem of crafty inspiration, but be warned, don't look at it until you have cleared an afternoon in your diary…..or put the kids to bed.

It is vast!!  And exciting!!  And I love it!!

It is ……drumroll……..www.craftgawker.com  !!!    LOVE the name too…..

Wow and yee hah.  It is sort of like Pinterest, but for craft!  A must for all you crafty peeps out there!

It is easy to navigate, the photography is really lovely and some of the projects threaten to take up much of my precious spare time.  When you click on a photo, it takes you through to a blog, or tutorial or website.  Or this is what is supposed to happen….I had a bit of trouble opening the links, they seemed to take forever……fingers tapping……..ho hum.

Apart from the links taking what seems like hours to open…….am I doing something wrong?……..it is a great website and full of inspirational projects and ideas.  The site has strict guidelines and commercial sites are not accepted as links, so no linking through to online shops, etc.  The photography is of a really good standard and any submissions to the site must be approved.  I like their style!  I have registered for an account, so I can now get into some serious gawking!

Enjoy your gawking!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Meet the Maker.......Lauren from "Love a Rhino"

Anzac Day...... a day to reflect about those who have made such sacrifices for our country, a day to spend together and perhaps even make a batch of traditional Anzac biscuits.  Today I have done all of that, I think it is a great way of respecting this special Australian day.  I am now sitting at my desk next to our wood heater, which is blazing along nicely with a sleepy cat curled up in front of it.

Now for a late Meet the Maker post on this chilly Autumn night......about a month ago I met Lauren from Love a Rhino at a local market and was instantly taken with her gorgeous wall art.  I am pleased to share some of Lauren's thoughts with you......

Name:  Lauren Hammond

Business Name:  Love a Rhino


Website:  www.lovearhino.com.au

Online storefront/s:  www.madeit.com.au/LoveARhino

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/LoveARhino

Twitter:

Questions:

1.  So, tell us about yourself......
I'm a 20 something, stay at home Mum to two rambunctious boys aged 5 and 2 1/2.  I live with my family (hubby, 2 boys, Labrador and 6 chickens) in Karingal.  Before my youngest son was born, I was a vet nurse and though I love being home with my boys, I do miss working with animals (they don't tend to talk back quite so much, I've noticed).

2.  Why handmade?
I've always loved creating unique pieces (I have vivid memories of sewing furry pencil cases in high school and selling them for extra money).  I think that something that's been lovingly made by hand, is always more special and treasured.



3.  What influenced you to start your business?
I was having a hard time finding artwork for my boys' rooms that was unique, fun, not too "cutesie" and didn't cost an arm and a leg, so I decided to create my own!  I then made a few prints as gifts for friend's new babies and was constantly being told that they had people asking where they could get their own.  I decided to list a few designs on madeit.com.au and see what happened from there.

4.  What type of products do you sell?
I offer a range of modern, personalised wall art, for nurseries, kid's rooms and the home.  Our speciality are our Personalised Birth Stat Wall Prints, which are popular as gifts.


5.  What are your inspirations for making your products?
I draw inspiration from anywhere and everywhere.  I love, love, love magazines and websites dedicated to children's room/nursery design.  I have a slight (*cough all-encompassing *cough) addiction to Pinterest at the moment and I find its a great place to draw inspiration.

6.  Where do you sell your products?
I sell prints both online on my website and madeit.com.au…..and at various markets.


7.  How much time do you spend making your products each week?
This depends entirely upon my boys, especially the youngest.  I'd say on average, 10 hours a week, but this increases if I have a market coming up.

8.  Do you have a dedicated craft area or studio in your home?
I wish!!  Most of my designing/printing is done either sitting on the couch or at the dining table!  Though I currently have grand plans for a closet that once housed our European Laundry (thank you Pinterest!)



9.  Are you self taught or have you had a good teacher?
I'm self taught.  I started off with digital scrapbooking, which evolved into designing invitations and went from there.







Monday 23 April 2012

Bustling and balmy......

I couldn't stay at home on Saturday morning,  the gorgeous balmy day was beckoning me to escape the house.  Plus the thought of a full day of gardening was filling me with dread, so I made a quick getaway to the Boneo Market for a couple of hours.  The familiar "be back soon" was sang out as I happily strolled out to my car.

Kid free and heading to a market!  I felt a bit lucky as I drove in to park my car.  As soon as I got into the crowd, I couldn't help thinking how lovely this local market is.  It still has that little bit of country feel to it and I always bump into one, two or more local people I know.


As always I had a lovely chat to some local makers.....I always have a good gas-bag and plenty of laughs with Julie from My Sweet Florence and Marnie from Marnie Louanne.  I was delighted to find a gathering of local talent under the name of  Crabapple Cottage Crafts, well done girls!!  After a couple of hours of browsing and chatting, I left with my fresh strawberries, free range eggs and yummy risotto balls which we had for tea last night.

Locally made = great stuff!!
Here's looking forward to the next Boneo market.....a bustling, country market that never fails to please!
Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx

Thursday 19 April 2012

Soap is so much fun!!

As you know, yesterday I toddled off to the soap making class I mentioned in Tuesday's post.  I have to say, I was so excited the day had finally come around.

A warm welcome
Upon arrival, Judy gave me a warm welcome and I presented her with two linen tablecloths I had made for her stock displays.  The studio smelt so lovely, the gorgeous aroma of essential oils was a pleasant and uplifting environment to work in.


We were each given a kit to use on the day, consisting of an apron, safety goggles, stainless steel saucepan, candy thermometer, whisk and jugs.  A soap recipe sheet and general information was very useful to refer to during the class and we took these home to use for future soap making.  Judy gave a talk on soap making, to let us know a bit about the whole process.

My kit for the day
We soon got into the nitty gritty of it all and I loved every minute of it.  After weighing the oils, we melted the liquid olive oil and solid coconut oil together.

Bernadette weighing her olive oil

The two melted oils cooling
Next came the part where the goggles came out.....mixing the lye.  Caustic soda is added to water (it is IMPORTANT not to do it the other way around and add water to caustic soda!!!!).......a chemical reaction occurs when the two are mixed, causing the mixture to heat up very quickly.  Chemical burns can occur if the mixture is splashed on skin.  The use of safety gear is imperative in this stage.  Goggles, protective clothing and gloves are a good start, if you are thinking of making your own soap.  We added a small amount of frozen goats milk to the lye mix and whisked it all together.  The mix was then put in a water bath to bring it down to a similar temperature as the oils.  We then added the lye mixture to the oils and starting mixing with an electric stick mixer......once the soap mixture reached a point where it left a trail on top (this is called "trace") then it was ready to pour into a greased mould.

The soap at "trace"
And so, into the mould it went.......

In the mould, ready to set
After it went into the mould, we put the lid on top and then wrapped it in insulation paper........

Wrapping the soap to keep it warm....
And into the box it went, ready to take home.  I let mine sit in the mould for twenty four hours and I turned it out today.  Once set, it was like the consistency of tasty cheese and I then cut it into 8 lovely chunky soaps......and it smells SO good too, I added Lemon Scented Gum oil along with red clay and poppy seeds.
One day later, the soap is set and ready to turn out of mould...
Out of mould and ready to cut
Once the soap was cut, I placed it on a cake rack, where it will sit for 6 weeks.  During this time the soap will cure.  This process lets the excess water evaporate and the lye and fat will continue the saponification process.  The result should be a lovely hard handmade soap which smells brilliant!

The finished product.....now 6 weeks of curing and it will be ready to use!
I hope you enjoyed my pictorial tour of my first attempt at soap making!  It really is quite an amazing process which I will definitely repeat at home.  I am thinking once I am half way through these, I will make another batch of my own.

If you are interested in attending the Soap Making Workshops please click on this link......
and email Judy or Sarah using the contact page.

Cheers,

Jodie 
MPH xx

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Handmade soap class......

Hello hello.....

SO excited!!  Tomorrow, I am lucky enough to be trialling out a new soap making class!  Judy from Gunbower Creek Olives in Rye,  is starting up these classes soon and I get to be one of the the guinea pig students!  Yay!  Soap making is something that has interested me for the past few years and although I have read lots about it and even have books about it, I have never taken that nervous leap into making my own.

Soap making has been around for thousands of years, the earliest records are from Babylonia in 2800 BC.  It was once a common practise in the home kitchen,  to whip up batches of homemade soap for household use.  And then came along commercial soap factories.



For the last few years, I have only been using handmade soaps from markets or liquid castille soap from my local health food store, steering well clear of cheap and scary commercial stuff. An added bonus is that I am putting a lot less chemicals on my skin.......always a good thing!!  I have found that my skin is not as dry, due to the lovely glycerin content in these soaps.

Glycerin is present in natural fats so it makes sense to leave it in soap for its moisturising qualities.
You can see in this simple equation:  oil + lye = soap + glycerin.

Commercial soap has the glycerin removed from it and then the glycerin is sold off as a by-product.  Although commercial soaps have super lathering powers (probably due to synthetic detergents), I find they dry my skin horribly........snake skin is not a good look!!

So tomorrow's class will be fantastic and I have been looking forward to it for weeks.  I hope to take some pictures to post up tomorrow.........so stay tuned.

Have a great day!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx


Monday 16 April 2012

A crafty read for you!

I think my brain has officially turned to mush!  Two weeks ago I was SO excited to read the latest edition of Tickle the Imagination's magazine.......and I forgot to share it with you!!  Embarrassed and red faced......

This edition, as always, is full of handmade inspirations, projects and altogether just a good read! I love the stories featuring some of Australia's talented designers and makers.  Check out the cool Mother's Day printables available for download too!

And a bonus for the Peninsula handmade scene too!  Congrats to Ali from Cheeky Pickle, for her Easter card tutorial...(um, apologies again as Easter is now over) and a feature of her work.  Well done Ali......!

Tickle the Imagination.....Issue 05
You can subscribe to this gorgeous magazine.....and the latest issue announcements are emailed straight to your Inbox!!  Never miss a copy.......yay!  PLUS, the subscription is free......even better!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPHxx

Thursday 12 April 2012

A laundry tutorial.....

Easter is over for another year..........always a lovely time of year and I hope you had a brilliant long weekend filled with lots of yummy chocs!

A little while ago, I posted about making your own laundry liquid.  A week or so ago, I had ran out of my usual box of eco laundry powder.....actually I was eagerly awaiting the finish of it,  as I wanted to return to making my own homemade laundry liquid.  It has been too long since I made a batch, so I took myself off to the supermarket for a couple of ingredients I was getting low on.

And I have made a tutorial with some of my step-by-step photos....just for you!!  I hope it makes sense.....ok here goes!

Homemade Laundry Liquid
(This recipe makes 5 litres)


Ingredients:


750 mls of water
5 Litres of hot water
1/2 cup of Lux soap flakes
1/4 cup of Lectric washing soda flakes (not crystals)
1/4 cup of borax






Equipment:


Large saucepan
Measuring cup/jug
Wooden spoon or paint stirrer
10 litre plastic bucket






Method:
Measure the 750mls of water and empty into saucepan.  Add the Lux flakes to the water.  Over a medium heat, stir the soap until dissolved completely and the mixture is clear. Ensure the soap is dissolved, to prevent the mixture separating once cooled. Now add the washing soda and borax to soap mixture.  Stir until thickened and then remove from heat.  The mixture will resemble thick milky glue.




Add 5 litres of hot tap water to the 10 litre plastic bucket. Now pour your thickened mixture from the saucepan into the hot water.
Stir well to combine the water and soap mixture. 




As the mixture cools, it will thicken.  I like to give it a stir every 10 or 15 minutes, to ensure a smooth combined liquid. Once the mixture is completely cool, you can add your essential oil for fragrance.  I used pure Lemongrass essential oil, which gives a great fresh aroma.  Lavender oil is another favourite of mine.




For storage, I poured most of mine into a 5 litre water storage container (with a wide opening for easy pouring). The rest of it I poured into a recycled coffee jar and added some jute twine for decoration. Give the plastic container a good shake to mix liquid, before topping up your jar.  I use 1/4 cup of this laundry liquid per load in my front loader.  




N.B. As this recipe contains Borax, it may not be suitable for Grey Water use on gardens.


I have been using this for a over a week now and it is really doing a great job.  For only 2 or 3 dollars, it makes just over 5 litres of laundry liquid which will last ages!  Plus there are no nasty chemical fillers like commercial laundry detergent.  I hope my tutorial has inspired you to make your own batch.  I would love to hear how it turned out!!  


Cheers,


Jodie
MPH xx

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Meet the Maker.........Sarah from "Love and Two Guns"

I am pleased to welcome Sarah from Love and Two Guns to our Meet the Maker!  Sarah has just moved down to the Peninsula, so I thought this would be a lovely way to make her feel right at home........

Name:  Sarah Leonard

Business Name: LATG....Love and Two Guns


Website:  Nothing yet

Online storefronts:  Nothing yet

Facebook:  Love and Two Guns

Twitter: Nothing yet

Questions:

1.  So, tell us about yourself?
I have recently moved to Melbourne from Brisbane, with my husband, who is in the Australian Defence Force.  I studied marketing at QUT and I used to work at a major department store as a Sales Assistant and in-store Visual Merchandiser.  I love Op Shopping (a little too much) and like to spend my time making accessories for my LATG label.

2.  Why handmade?
I have always been interested in anything handmade - how the item is designed and constructed.  It amazes me at what people can make - the skills needed and the time taken.  Handmade is always more special and I like the idea that something was made from raw materials and turned into a beautiful or useful product.



3.  What influenced you to start your business?
Being addicted to your craft means you have A LOT of it accumulating in the house.  As much as your want to keep it all, it's nice to share it with other people.  I liked the idea of having my own little enterprise and being able to control and steer it in any direction.  I also liked the idea of crafting a little world that was my own.  Reactions form friends, family and strangers are always a great motivator too.

4.  What types of products do you sell?
At the moment I sell handmade resin jewellery, scarves and cushions.  I really want LATG to specialise in fashion and home accessories.  I'm a little obsessed with fabric at the moment, so expect more scarves, cushions and throw rugs.


5.  What are your inspirations for making your products?
My inspiration comes from everywhere.  If I like something (a colour, shape or style), I will try and reflect it in something I make.  I tend to move toward simple styles that can be mixed and matched.  My family upbringing has been a major influence too.  My mother has always inspired a vintage look with her English background; whereas my dad inspires more Asian design with his Chinese Malaysian nationality.  In saying that, sometimes, I like to go completely modern - it really depends on my mood.

6.  Where do you sell your products?
I mainly sell my products through Facebook and word-of-mouth.  I am trying to attend more markets around Melbourne so I can really get my wares known.


7.  How much time do you spend making your products each week?
Well, seeing as I am still looking for casual employment, I get to spend heaps of time making things.  Generally the resin jewellery will take from one day to a week, to completely cure and sand them.  My cushions don't take too long, so I can get a few done a week.  The scarves are my current addiction, so I try and make a couple per day.

8.  Do you have a dedicated craft area or studio in your home?
I do have a large room toward the back of the house that I dedicate to my market set-up and sewing.  With resin jewellery, I need a well-ventilated area, so this works perfectly.  The annoying part is that the room is open plan and is right next to the kitchen, so I get tempted to snack when I should be working.



9.  Are you self taught or have you had a good teacher?
Everything I have done has been self taught.  I think trial and error is a great way to learn, as well as discovering new ways to do things.  Some of my best ideas have come from stuffing up!  I do research on the Internet a fair bit if I need to know how to do something on the sewing machine.




















Friday 6 April 2012

Half price Mollie Makes for Easter

Oooh, I got so excited about this lovely Easter offer from Mollie Makes......until I discovered my son had taken his iPad away with him.....Grrrr!!

Mollie Makes  is a UK based digital magazine and it is chock full of handmade inspiration galore!
I LOVE IT!!!   This Easter they are offering half price single editions of this gorgeous mag, available from the Apple Newsstand.......ONLY for iPhone and iPad downloads............!!

Monday 2 April 2012

Crafty goings on.....

Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to be involved in the first annual Westernport Craft Fest.  What a day it was!  A good friend asked me at the last minute, to share a stall with her.  Hence the mad rush on Friday night to get some sort of paper crafting demonstration stall together.

Now Saturday was a fairly blustery day in downtown Hastings and paper crafting in the wind brought along some interesting challenges!  Our stall started off looking all pretty for about five minutes, until gust after gust of that nasty wind rearranged it and sent gift boxes, cards and paper hurtling to the ground.

Teena papercrafting in the wind......DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
As you all know, I dabble in several crafty obsessions.  Most of the time I muddle through, each time learning more and more as I go.  After lunch at Craft Fest, I slipped away to meet some of the other demonstrators.....and I was curious to see what other crafts were on show.  A lot of the ladies were very experienced and had been crafting for many more years than me.......and yes, it showed!  I was seriously impressed by the quality of the many crafts on show.  Just look at the work by Jennifer Lewis pictured below:

Collage quilt by Jennifer Lewis

The lovely Jennifer Lewis and a gorgeous vintage Singer machine
Upon discovering the exquisitely detailed embroidery by Caroline Hill, my mind was taken away to English Cottage Gardens and the days of old....

Embroidery by Caroline Hill

Caroline Hill
I had a lovely chat to Amanda Hart, who makes handmade jewellery and puppets......one of her cute puppets was strolling around next to her, among the crowds during the day...

Amanda Hart
I think the most amazing craft I watched on the day was the ladies from Mt Eliza Lace Group and their lace demonstration. These ladies are just so talented and the work is extremely intricate.  I would imagine a great deal of patience is required. This is something I don't have a lot of, but this only served to make my admiration grow.  Absolutely gorgeous work!

Mt Eliza Lace Group
I could rattle on forever about the lovely people I met on the day........I truly had a great day out and was very humbled by the talented older ladies I met.  Well done to you all  !!

Basket making and soft toys...

The girls from Trinity Craft Group

Westernport Quilters Inc
Thank you to Sandra for her assistance on the day and for squeezing us in after a cancellation.  I look forward to next years event!

Cheers,

Jodie
MPH xx