You say Doyley, I say Doily

However you spell it, doilies have risen through the crafty ranks, shaken off their fuddy duddy image and are now the height of Granny Chic. I, amongst numerous other crafty individuals, have embraced the doily. My usage requires scissors and chopping and adhering.
These creative people fashion items from the whole doily, utilising it's lacy, web like beauty.

Caitlin Holcomb from "Nice" makes eerily beautiful light shades created with vintage and found handmade doilies.I like the combination of patterns and textures. Imagine how many Nana's it took to crotchet all this doily goodness.
Here's Caitlin's worktable. Serious doily envy here! I've heard the shades have been available to buy right here in Melbourne at Douglas and Hope.
The Queen of Nana crafting, Tif Fussel from Dottie Angel, is also a huge fan of doilies. All her work incorporates some lacy loveliness of some kind. These moulded doily dishes are delicately pretty, but take note, they are all purely decorative .

Here Tif responds to customer inquiries at her etsy store "what could this little dish be used for?" and I say, that is a very good question. I have pondered this very thought myself and come up with "not a lot".For this sweet 'doily whatnot' is a decorative little soul, looking for a spot to rest and look 'pretty'. do not ask it to carry apples, remote controls or other such things for it will surely 'cave'..... But ask of it, to look 'splendidly granny chic like' and it will surely do the job..."

Here's a doily creation on a larger scale . A magnolia tree out side Pen Durston's shop "Cottage Industry" was adorned with hand stitched recycled doilies in 2008. Pics from here too.

Around this time there must have been a noticeable lack of doilies available at Northern suburbs op shops! It was a truly beautiful addition to the Gertrude St.streetcape.

Finally, I wanted to share this beautiful work by Shane Walter, a Brussels-born, London-based artist.

His installation titled "Aunty Peggy has Departed" was on show in Aldwych Tube Station in London.The cobweb like doilies are crotcheted with mercerised cotton and hang in disused phone booths, not unlike the fancy work of exotic spiders.
According to Shane "Doilies are like dreamcatchers, each knot holding a thought, a memory. The sum of these make up the history of a place.The piece was dedicated to Peggy, and her lifelong enthusiasm for crochet work and needlecraft."
Hooray for the Peggy's of this world!

Bill Miller

A few years ago I posted about Pittsburg artist Bill Miller at Lino Forest. There I gave him the award for the most amazing and inspiring use of salvaged vintage lino in the creative field .

So I think it's high time to re-introduce Bill Miller and his breathtakingly beautiful collages. And yes, it's all done with vintage lino!According to the artists profile, "Miller's work has been recognized for rendering narrative moods and a sense of common memory. His unexpected use of patterns taps into the mediums nostalgic familiarity striving to impart a sense of history and story within each piece. Creating an effect that lies somewhere between collage and stained glass, Miller's innovative use of the linoleum's pattern and color is his signature style."

I certainly can't do him justice on this blog. You'll have to visit the website to see the breadth and depth of his work.

Look at the star burst patterned lino in this piece titled"Portrait of a Tree".

And the complex layering of stunning autumn toned lino in "Sweenyburg Farm"I can't even begin to express how taken I am with this snapshot of John and Yoko titled "Paper or Plastic".

How perfect is the lino for John's jim jams! I could look at all the detail for ever.

I noticed there is a contact on the artists website where people can donate lino.I'm sure one person could not source this much by themselves.
Now I think I need a lie down to rest my senses from this visual overload.

But first I'm going to announce the winner of the Little Golden Book Journal donated by Megan from The Byron Life. Congrats to Sue from Divajools. Your journal will soon be on it's way!

Pencil It In!

Coloured Pencils...ahhhhh.
I have been smitten with my boxed set of 72 Derwents for many years. It was the first gift my beloved ever gave me.( A good enough reason to stick with him I reckon!)
Coloured pencils were like currency when I was at primary school. And Derwents were the Rolls Royces of the pencil world!
You can imagine then how taken I am with these colourful creations by three jewellers who fashion off-beat pieces from the humble coloured pencil.

Italian designer Maria Cristina Belluci has a background in theatre and costume design. Her bold,sculptural jewellery is almost organic in form. I am totally enamoured with her creations.
I would almost be willing to donate some of my beloved Derwents just to own a piece!Another talented sculptor/jeweller who also uses pencils in her work is Jennifer Maestro from Massechusettes. She produces a range of pendants, earrings and brooches which also contain smooth and sanded pencil pieces, some even retaining the brand lettering.

But she is most well know for her pieces that utilizes the pointy end of the coloured pencil. Brooches and larger works reminiscent of sea urchins and anemones, similtaneously appearing sharp and dangerous, but also beautiful and eye catchingly fluid.
Jennifer writes "Hullo pencil fans! All these pencil items are handmade by me, Jen, and I have the fingernails (or lack thereof) to prove it!
I am a sculptor with a particular fascination for pencils. I find them extremely inspiring, probably because I have a million of them in my studio. The big joke in my studio- I can never find anything to write with."
According to Jennifer March 30th was Pencil Day!! Drats I missed it.A divine shot of Jennifers workbench with zillions of colour coded pencils on hand. Bliss.
At her Etsy shop Jennifer introduces us to another pencil crafter, Stacey Dawn from Texas.
Stacey 's bracelets, pendants and necklaces are sweet and simple. Delicate transformed pieces of sawed up pencils create bead like components. The colour combinations are wonderful and appeal to my rainbow hued sense of design.

Stacey uses pre-loved pencils in her jewelery still retaining the marks and bumps of their previous life.She says "I make them from real pencils so they aren't perfect but that's one of the things that I happen to like best about them."

Twiglet

Last year I met Dana Levistone from Twiglet ( a Melbourne designer and mother of two) and immediately fell in love with her Sleepy-Smiley Lion softies. This orange guy came home with me and now sits on my daughters bed. Initially he was taking pride of place in the lounge room, but my Jack Russel Chester became somewhat enamoured with lion, and started smothering him with too much "affection"!

According to Dana "Sleepy-Smiley Lions were dreamed up whilst my koo-koo baby brain waited for the birth of my first child whose sex was unknown. (It was a girl!) Their faces and colours were inspired by our retro home-decor and log cabin style playroom. They made a public appearance in a Melbourne newspaper and soon became a Twiglet product available to peeps of all ages worldwide! They make a lovely cuddle toy or cushion."
Here's Orange Sleepy- Smiley lion appearing in the latest issue of small magazine.
Get your own from etsy or find Twiglet at numerous markets and lovely stockists around town. See Dana's blog Acoustitch for details.

Dana also makes adorable kids clothes and accesories under the Twiglet label. She recycles vintage linen like tea towels, sheets and tableclothes to create the hippest kids wearables in Melbourne. I bumped into Dana at a second hand shop last week and her arms were bulging with retro materials, curtains and tablecloths.I can just imagine the cuteness to emerge from these finds!
Seeing these gorgeous clothes makes me wish my kids were still little enough to wear them.

Twiglet is just another example of the creativity, resourcefulness and innovation that often washes over new mothers when faced with the prospect of being at home with your bubbas and still making an income. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.
The traditional thought that mothers brains go to mush when they are pregnant or kid wrangling is regularly proven wrong when you unearth the creative force of loads of mothers starting craft businesses and shunning the nine to five !
Speaking of crafty Mummas, Megan from "The Byron Life" has kindly given Find,Make,Do a sweet Little Golden Book Journal to GIVEAWAY. There's still time to enter!

Little Pots O' Gold!

It's no surprise I love Little Golden Books. If I find a particularly special pre-loved one at an opshop or fete I have to bring it home, often with plans to give it a new life.

My recycling sensibilities kick in but all I need is some inspiration.
Here's some crafty creations made from recycled Little Golden books.....

A Jungle Book bird house. For the bird who has every thing!Decorative bunting from Natalie at Arthurs Circus. Great idea!

Blocks a la Martha Stewart. From here. I spy Scuffy!

Even if your not into "transforming" your books you could frame the often stunning illustrations(especially if your Little Golden books have been overly loved by the toddler!)

And finally, here are some useful and decorative Little Golden Book products created by Megan from The Byron Life. Journals ,collages and handy tins.Like me, Megan loves the emotion that sweeps over her when she discovers a book she recognises from her childhood. Megan's products are designed to be as green as possible: recycled covers, 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper inside, plant-based varnish used on artworks and recycled packaging for sending orders. Now that ticks all the three R's boxes.Find The Byron Life goodies at Big Cartel or at the Bangalow Craft Market (4th Sunday of each month) and Byron Bay Craft Market (1st Sunday of each month).
Megan has nicely given Find, Make, Do this sweet Golden Book journal to Giveaway.Just leave a comment and you will be in the running.

Giveaway Winners.

I'm happy to announce that the lovely girls at Sisteroutlaws have decided to provide not two, but twelve kits to give away! So congrats to the winners.
I'll contact you after Easter so we can get you your Re*Sew*Cool kits! (or shoot me an email with your address if you are a winner!)
1.Black Eyed Susie
2.Nick-Collecting Feathers
3.Zofia
4.Gina-Clutter Punk
5.Kirsteene-Scrumptious Productions
6.Allison-Lark
7.Susan-It's the things that make you go mmmm
8.Michelle-Button Tree Lane
9.Laurel- Miss Muggins
10.Lara- Thornberry
11.Ann Bartlett
12.Maureen-Twig and Toadstool