Finders Keepers Winter 2012 :: June 1 & 2 :: Carriageworks

via here

Back for 2012 -  Finders Keepers is on at Carriageworks
 Dates:   Friday 1st June  6pm - 10pm
             Saturday 2 June.   10am - 5pm


Fun times!

Creative Lane Marrickville Town Hall :: Sunday 11 September :: 10am till 3pm

Come on over and say hi....

One week to go ::Creative Lane:: Marrickville Sunday 31 July 10am-3pm

Market day is almost here.  Looking forward to sharing my new creations.  Also extremely excited to meet many new fellow crafters/artists/designers.  All of them wanting to share their handmade creations and inspire people to tap into their creative side with workshops running all day.  So come along, join in the fun and support handmade.

Here is a peek of what you can find on the day:

 Babushka doll pendant by Hilary&June

Polish Inspired folk art - Once a year book

Nappy bag/Tote by Piggledee

Unique pendant lamps from Steal the Limelight

Jewellry by Lady Soldier

Creative Lane Marrickville Town Hall :: Sunday 31 July :: 10am till 3pm

My next market stall will be at the 2nd Creative Lane Market in Marrickville.

Look forward to sharing more of my new creations.

See you there!

Creative Lane Marrickville - My first market experience

Finally having come off my crafty high, I sat and pondered my very first market experience as a seller.  I must admit it was something that really took courage on my part.   Being a crafter, you always sit and make and get lost in creating, certainly never thinking about selling (well at least I didn't).  As one of my favourite quotes by Hip Hop artist Jay Z goes

"You can't make art with business in mind. You have to make art first" .  

Every time I create, I feel like I am making art for myself and for the feeling of peace and tranquility it provides. The excitement of combining colours and fabrics and to see some long thought out ideas occupying space in my brain - finally come to life.  Dollars and cents don't come into it.

However, on my quest for self improvement and pushing myself a little, I wanted to try a market. To see if this was the way I  wanted to go in terms of sharing my creations with others.  So after sending my application form and paying my stallholders fee, I began the process of creating for selling.  A new and different way to do things.


Always enjoying this process, it surprisingly did not take on a different meaning just because I was now creating for selling.    Fear number one - scratched off the list.  Phew!

So I continued to get lost in the art of making.  Watching each bit of fabric, each stitch become a craftyclaudes creation.  The craft room soon ran out of space as owlies, dolls and birds took over.  Martino kindly giving up some of his art space for my ever growing menagerie of softies.

The days leading up to market day included checking stitches, creating tags, packaging and other bits and pieces.  These days also included many sleepless nights and a few nightmares.  Mainly of having crowds walking up to my stall and walking away laughing....and empty handed.  Yikes!   But I could not back out now.

Market day arrived. The first blue sky sunny day for almost 10 days of rain.  A good sign that hopefully, the masses would soon pop in an visit the very first market in Marrickville Town Hall.    Arriving and setting up my stall was fun, although the butterflies in my stomach felt at times, overwhelming (tho having my mum and Martino there certainly helped calm me down).   Meeting and seeing other crafters doing the same filled me with a sense of pride.  Here we were, all of us nervous (probably) excited (much) and hopeful.  Seeing my stall come to life with all sorts of colour filled me with pride.  This was the first time I had seen all my little creations come together, all on display - d e f i n i t e l y   no turning back now.

Then comes the first sale....which I was hoping would happen on the day (but never a guarantee).   One of my fellow stallholders bought the first owlie before the market opened to the public.  I think I almost cried and jumped for joy and danced around  - all on the inside of course!    Fortunately, this continued for the rest of the day.

However, what I did not expect from this market experience, was the joy and thrill I got from meeting so many people.  Many stopping by to share in the excitement of my creations, reminiscing about their favorite childhood doll,  to discuss up cycling fabrics, colour combinations etc.   Seeing the look on people's faces (especially the kidlets) light up when they saw the owlies really made me feel proud that I took the leap and brought them to market. All sorts of wonderful feelings and great energy on this day.....things I would have missed out on had I not pushed my comfort zone a little.

So onwards and upwards for this crafter -  the next Creative Lane Market takes place on Sunday 31 July at the same venue.   Hope to see more of you there :-)

One week to go.....CraftyClaudes first market at Creative Lane - Marrickville

Want to know what I have been up to during these very cold months?  Preparing for my first market stall...yep yep!  Its taken a while to put a little collection of owlies, dolls, birds and brooches together but finally they are ready. So pop in and say hola!  I will be there...so will 40 other crafters.   Sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday no? 

Date for your diary :: Finders Keepers Market - Brisbane 2-3 July , 2011

super sweet artwork by mel stringer

Back from a wonderful holiday which included lots of creative inspiration, fresh air and moments of awe at the talents of some amazing artists and crafters.  I will soon be sharing some photos via this blog as they are just too cool to be kept to myself!     In the meantime, check out this very cute poster for the upcoming Finders Keepers market in Brisbane.   Featuring a cute owlie and some of his woodland friends....sweet.

If you live in or near Brisbane, check out the Finders Keepers market and support handmade. 

Date for your diary - Finders Keepers Market - Sydney - May 20 and 21

sweet artwork by Jordan Clarke

Check out their website for more details

Market Wanderings- Lane Cove Alive - Art & Design Makers Markets

Last weekend we headed over to Lane Cove to check out the second Art and Design Makers Market for 2011.  Although the weather was not as co-operative as we would have liked, people still came out and supported some incredibly talented artists who were showcasing their skills.

One of these talented artists was our lovely friend Lindy, who had some new works on offer. All of them dramatic, amazingly detailed and proudly representing countless hours of hard work and steady determination.

Raw, Regal, Rebirth

As well as being a sculptor Lindy is also a photographer and is now offering prints of her pieces.

Of course as soon as I spotted these owlies from a distance, I knew I had to head on over and meet their maker - Hannah from Miss Odd Pocket.   Super cute, fun fabrics and very cuddle worthy!

Hannah is super talented.  Not only creating funky looking owls but also brooches, cards, prints and buntings/banners.  A Lane Cove market regular ready to share with you her creations.  If you are lucky, Hannah will also show you some of the brand spanking new bits of goodness she is working on for future markets.

peek-a-boo!

How cute are the birdies hanging out on the tree branch?   so sweet! 

One of the reasons I love, love, love  visiting markets is to get a chance to meet and chat with the makers.  I believe that this is where we really get to know the essence of their creations.  To see their faces light up when they share with you a process or what motivated them to work on a particular piece or describe what they are working on next is truly inspiring.

Music, food, hand-made goodness.....all part of the market experience.

We also met lovely Tamara from Tam.Art.O.  A photographer since the wee age of 9 who also designs and creates her own frames!  Her photographs capture the beauty in everyday items like flowers, fruits, gardens as well as some travel locations.  The photos can be purchased as cards or as stunning canvas art making it affordable for everyone to take home a little handmade goodness.

Original and affordable greeting cards.

Have a greeting card you simply love and dont know what to do with?  Frame-ya-card!

Travel far and wide....Roma on Canvas.

So visit your local hand made market.  Not only will you support a wonderful community of artisans but you will walk away knowing that what you have purchased was made with much love, thought and skill.

To check out the next Lane Cove market dates clicky here

To contact Lindy visit her website here

To contact Tamara visit her bigcartel online shop here 

To contact Hannah email here 

Lindividual at Glebe Markets

Summer means market time.  In Sydney we are lucky to have some really great markets, all of which support handmade and feature some very talented artists.  This weekend we visited Glebe Markets to support and check out the latest works by our creative friend Lindividual (aka Lindy).

All sculptures range in size from 15cm to 36cm

Series include (R)awe, (R)evolution, Rough and Regal

These sculptures are all designed, cast , and hand painted by the lady herself.   Each piece requires much research into the various tribes found within Africa - her motherland. 

For more information regarding the process and inspiration for these pieces, please visit the Lindividual website

Also for a gorgeous account of Lindy's first market day, as seen through the eyes of her 9 year old daughter, please visit TJLine's blog.


  

Paper garlands - A simple project....

Well....I have finished all my projects for market. Thirty two pieces. All done - phew!  A big achievement for both Maves and I.  So this weekend we will have fun photographing them and thinking about what markets we will sell our wares at this Christmas season. Yay to us!   Upon finishing all the little pieces I decided to continue on my crafty crusade and got out my paper stash.  After focusing on fabric, felt, beads and thread for a few months, it was nice to go through all my pretty papers and try out my brand new paper punch.

I started making lots of these:

Then when I had a bunch of them ready I ran them through the sewing machine.  

In between each shape, I would leave a little thread to give them some room to just hang out

and voila!!  A paper garland :-)

This was by far the quickest project I have ever made.  Plus now that I have tried it, I am thinking Christmas decorations and filling the apartment with pretty garlands.  Just don't tell Martino.  He might think its a little too girlie.   But I loved how these turned out and now that spring is here and our apartment is filled with light and beautiful breeze, these little guys will flutter away and add a festive feel to our place. 

Sweet!