One Plastic Beach

One Plastic Beach from Tess Thackara on Vimeo.

This is a facinating video featuring Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang . This couple is well-known for collecting plastic washed up on Kehoe beach.They have been doing it for 12 years and creating fantastic art from their collections.

P.S.I have a handy little collection of Kraft Cheese spreaders from local Melbourne beaches too.

Wear It

"Young Melbourne designers, Emma Grace and Ellie Mücke (who was featured on Find, Make Do last year), invite you to be inspired by their novel approaches to making new from old. Through the Wearit exhibition and workshops, the designers aim to facilitate a shift in the way that we consume fashion items.
The general public is invited to participate in a workshop, bringing along broken, un-loved and out of date jewellery ( everyone's got some in the bottom of their jewellery box!),and pre loved shirts, (you know, the ones that your boyfriend has had stuffed into the back of the cupboard and is never going to wear again. Or that shirt your bought at the op shop that just hasn't managed fit in with the rest of your wardrobe. In any case a shirt, a 'biggish' one, an old one, a mens one ideally, one that definitely doesn't fit you as it is, but one you can see would be just right with a bit of a makeover) to fix or re-create into something new and unique.
Simultaneously an exhibition of new works by Grace and Mücke will provide inspiration, challenge conventions and offer new perspectives.
Wearit is an opportunity to re-connect with community in a regional location and a forum to exchange skills, materials,thoughts and inspiration. Together we can begin a mental and physical shift away from a ‘throw-away culture’.
Come and visit Stockroom in Kyneton this March, and see how wearing the consequences of this shift can be truly inspirational."
Bookings for either a Jewellery or a Shirt workshop are essential and can be made via the Wearit Blog.
via the Wearit MediaRelease

Pin Pals

While shopping in my favorite precinct of King St. Newtown while on holiday in Sydney, I finally got to visit Made590 and was very taken with these Pin Pal earrings. They kind of summed up me and my moods when on a holiday with two kids and no Mr BJ!

I now want the matching hair clip.

I have been a fan of Pin Pals on Etsy and Flickr for ages, and love their cute blog.

The Pin Pals are Samantha Purdy and Sara Guindon. They are two self-taught crafters working and living in Montreal, Canada.
Samantha and Sara met in 2006 and decided to combine efforts to establish a small business called Pin Pals. Sam works with vintage textiles and cross stitches her own designs on to handmade brooches and earrings.Sara is an illustrator and designs paper toys and T-shirts.

All I can say is...what an ACE combination of talents!

The talented Sara collaborated with fashion designer Supayana on these gorgeous dresses.The illustrations were done specifically for these designs with the drawings digitally printed on cotton. Sweet!

Plastic Fantasic

Summer days mean swimming and relaxing, but they also means extra litter on our beautiful beaches. Today I am celebrating some more eco-conscious designers that have given salvaged beach plastic a new life as interesting and colourful jewellery. from top left 1.Rainbow Warrior Lei by Rebecca Ward

2. Aquamarine bracelet by It's a Man Made World
3.Save our Oceans armband by Illicitly Beautiful
4. Beach Plastic Necklaces by Judith Selby LangDisc Necklace cut from plastic bottles from the beaches of Cornwall by Spacefruit Chunky necklace from Salvaged plastic found on Kehoe Beach by Beach Plastic jewellery.

Ball and Circle Neckpiece from plastic salvaged from the Bahamas by It's a Man Made World
Save our Oceans Charm bracelet from salvaged plastic collected on the Atlantic coast by Rauschmittel

And a quick look at the Recovered Beach Plastic pieces I made for Markit .Plastic collected from an assortment of Victorian beaches.

Hanging by a Thread!

I featured this gorgeous Robin tree Decoration by London based paper cut & collage illustrater Kate Slater on Lino Forest, but I just had to show you all the others in Kate's etsy shop.
They are handcrafted from prints of Kate's original illustrations, mounted onto thick card and varnished. Kate loves paper and hoards magazines, envelopes and paper scraps. She says "I am usually covered in bits of paper. Sometimes I even rustle."
The original birds were part of this amazing window display at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, in the English summer of 2010.
The designs also come as beautiful brooches!

These are only a tiny part of the beautiful work by Kate. Check out her website and blog for loads more colourful paper cut and collage illustrations , prints and cards.

Kate has also written and illustrated a book called Magpie's TreasureSo totally affordable from The Book Depository I'm thinking I may just be getting a copy for me (if a book features a button factory. I'm sold!)
Kate's 3D artwork is amazing too! Bear and Birds

BUMPER Christmas Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the Find, Make, Do BUMPER Christmas Giveaway!

Miss Milla's Glass Pendant Kit- Bron66

Shara Lambeth Fawn brooch- Coco Jackson

Focus on Art Kitchen Owl- Little Cooties
Cocos Closet Bunting -Rebecca McClymont
Leigh Wagner Kookaburra brooch- Michelle- Button Tree lane
Betty Jo Designs Rainbow Orb brooch-Robyn Stewardson.

Mixtape Zine- Miss Milla, Robyn -Crafty Box, Leonie- Dr. Bones knits,
Jo- Joe bloggs, Black Eyed Susie.

Please email me with your addresses so we can get your goodies to you !
Thanks to everyone who entered and to all the readers of Find, Make, Do.
Warmest holiday wishes to you and yours.xxxx

Christmas Memo

Just a reminder, the cool and crafty BUMPER Christmas Giveaway is running till the 17th Dec. Here are the goodies on offer so just leave a comment here and maybe you'll win yourself a little Christmas cheer!