I am so excited! It was announced today that I am a finalist in the Etsy Design Awards!!

A few weeks ago I decided to enter one of my new products, the summer quilt into the home and lifestyle category of the competition. Just to see how it went.

I am so incredibly thrilled that it went well! It’s really wonderful to have been selected as a finalist, especially when there are so many other amazing designers out there, creating great things.

The competition is judged by an excellent panel of experts, all of whom I admire greatly and I am so pleased that I have this opportunity for them to see my work. I hope they like it!

There is also a people’s choice prize which could see me flying to NYC to the etsy headquarters to do cool things, so I’d love it if you could take the time to vote for me.

It feels like a great achievement to make it this far, it would be a dream come true to win!

The concept behind the store is that everything is related to the home, which is really lovely, and has made me look at new product ideas that I could do, or do the new products that I just hadn’t gotten to yet!

It’s a wonderful group of makers taking part, and I think there will be something there for everyone.  There will be a selection of pottery from Bridget Bodenham, Sophie Jane Moran, Sandra Bowkett and Adriana Christianson. Greg Hatton furniture will also be there, as well Jo Ruchel a basket maker and Georgia Clarke, who makes lovely aprons.

I will be previewing a few new items at the store, alongside my shibori bowls and linen cushions. I’m super excited about all the new things I’ve been working on, but you’ll have to wait to hear more about those! I’m really happy with them, and you can meet them in person at the shop for a sneak peek.

Opening night for the shop is Wednesday the 20th of August, from 5 – 8pm at 19 Nicholson St East Brunswick. Everyone is invited to come down to the shop and have a little celebrate with us!

The shop is open Wed – Sun between 11am and 6pm from 20th – 31st August.

I will be in the shop on Sat 23rd 2 – 6pm and Sun 31st  2 – 6pm.

See you there!

Before I began to make items for sale and had a “real” job, I had no idea the length of time it takes to create the things that we use in everyday life.  If I needed something I could just go to the shops and buy whatever I needed, and I could buy it for very little money. And I still can. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to go and buy something that has been mass produced and then sold for less than $20. I imagine many many hands have touched that item, and how can it have been produced for so little and a profit still be made? It doesnt make sense that it could have been; not without corners being cut, and somebody not receiving adequate payment for their work.

So I try to buy handmade items where I can, or items that have been produced ethically, and I particularly enjoy buying work that has been made locally.

All my work is produced slowly. I buy my supplies in as close to a raw state as I can manage. Everything I sell began it’s life in an undyed, neutral state.  It takes time for it to become the finished item that I sell. Sometimes a very long time, depending on what it is.

I kind of like that about it. Everything I make is crafted individually, or very close to individually.

It’s nice to work this way. I get to enjoy whatever I create while I create it. I shape it, and it shapes me.

I’ll slowly be adding the time it takes for an item to be made to my store descriptions. I think it’s nice to know how something was made, and be given the opportunity to be mindful of its humble beginnings.

I’ve worked on some new stuff recently which I haven’t shown off yet blog wise! I’ve done a short run of Linen cushion covers which you can grab in the shop, and I also made some one of a kind patchwork scarves using merino.

I’ve been doing a lot of admin behind the scenes and have recently picked up not one but four new stockist! How cool is that?? I think it’s pretty cool. In Melbourne you can find me at Hut13 on Swan St in Richmond. It’s pretty close to the Corner hotel. Then you can find me at Nook in West End (Brisbane QLD) and at Mr Sparrow in Subiaco (Perth WA). Lastly you can find me online at Hunt & Bow.

I feel pretty lucky to be picked up by such great stores!

In other news I have some cool stuff I want to work on over the xmas. I’m going to finally get a fermentation vat going, and a 123 vat as well. Then I have a number of new techniques to try out, so I’ll no doubt have some great photos to share of those too. I’ve recently been admiring the work of Hiroyuki Shindo, which I highly recommend taking a look at. Truly awe inspiring beautiful stuff. Something to aim for!

In addition to being stocked at such a lovely shop, we also got to be part of an editorial in Belle Magazine all about Indigo! The magazine is out next Monday the 4th of November, but in the mean time, here’s a sneak peek at our work in the mag. (Top right corner)

This is my first magazine appearance, so I’m pretty excited about it! Hopefully the first of many!

This past weekend I had a stall at Craft Hatch, which was pretty amazing, I met some wonderful designers as well as some of the Craft (Victoria) people which was really great.

2 designers I would love to share from Craft Hatch are Shiko and Mara Kapsis. Shiko creates beautiful hand thrown pottery (I picked up a tea cup, and it is divine) and Mara Kapsis creates gorgeous hand screen printed home wares and gift wrapping. If you take a peek on her website though, she has also done some work with natural dyes, which I absolutely would have quizzed her on had I realised!

I did launch my new 100% NZ Merino range of scarves at Craft Hatch, which were received rather well, (yay!) and I have also now begun listing them on the website and etsy. I will have more colours listed by the end of today. These scarves are generously sized at approx. 50cm x 165cm, They’re a really great width and length, yet each scarf weighs approx 150g, making them super lightweight! Merino is really a fantastic fibre to work with, its light yet warm, it wicks moisture, its super soft and is just all round amazing.  They are also perfect for both men and women, they’re all round just great.

Coming up on June 16 I will be at Rose St market in Fitzroy, along with some other fabulous stalls. Rose St market also has a cafe and has a really cruisey vibe. I saw some great work last time I visited, I was really blown away by the talent displayed there! After tackling my first ever market, I’m looking forward to doing another so quickly.

Lastly, on the 30th of June I will be at 1000 Pound Bend once again for Bend and Snap! Bend and Snap has some really cool stalls at it, and they always have little craft projects going on that everyone can take part in, so if you want to get your craft on, then it’s a great market to visit.

I’ve been working on some new stuff for the market, which I will hopefully have ready in time! If you’re in Melbourne, please come down and say hi! It will be my first market ever, so some friendly faces will put me at ease :)

One of my new scarves. You can find this one up for sale here.
I’ve been working a lot with the Indigo lately, so expect more blue from me! More indigo news in my next blog post.

It looks like it’s meant to be a painting, doesn’t it?

But, it is art to wear in the form of an infinity scarf. Coming soon to the shop :) On etsy here!