Collaboration With A Faery

Been having fun over the last couple of weeks coming up with some ideas for FaerySarah's new blog header... She worked her magic with it and wollah! It's FaerySarah cartoon style!

Sophie Kyron on a Monday Morning

I have just discovered a super Australian talent Sophie Kyron, designer of STUNNING pieces of jewellery.

I have tried in the past to ween myself off busy, brightly coloured, full on jewellery, but I have come to realise that it is forever ingrained in me - I think I'm a little like a magpie, drawn to all things bright, shiny and colourful, so now I am embracing it!

I love how Sophie combines layers of beading, chain, fabric and bits and bobs to create beautiful pieces of art to drape around your neck, and not to mention some great marketing photography too.

Check out her site here for more pictures, info and stockists.

Artisically Frustrated

My ideas & inspirations book - aka. the window to my soul!

Today I am feeling really artistically frustrated. This has been creeping up on me for a few months now, actually pretty much since I left NZ 4 months ago.

I am really down about the fact that I have all these wonderful ideas that I want to create and make and experiment with ( jewellery, artworks, sewing projects, prints, illustrations, clothes...) and they are building up in my ideas book (above), but at the moment I have no money or resources to produce them.

Putting a halt to buying lots of lovely crafting goodies is just an unfortunate sacrifice I've had to make since moving here, because not only is money tight, we are only here temporarily so I can't justify hoarding a whole lot of 'stuff'.

I miss my sewing machine and craft boxes so much it hurts, I don't know what to do with myself, there's a whole part of me missing at the moment and I'm not sure how long I can go on like this!

Starting up a creative venture is such a chicken and egg situation - I need to make the goodies to sell and to be able to develop my ideas and products, but how do you get the money together to buy your materials etc to make these things in the first place!? (Short of crawling to the bank for a loan).

So yea, feeling a little lost today...

Book I'm Lovin' - MaryKate & Ashley Olsen 'Influence'

Ok so I can feel you cringing already as you read this heading, and I did too when I first saw this book, but once I started reading I must say I was totally surprised, it's a great read!

What you don't realise from looking at the cover is that it is filled with fantastic, insightful interviews by the twins of famous and not so famous designers in all genres - fashion, interiors, photography, artisitic, exhibitions and more. It is more about the people that inspire them, and only a small part about themselves. The bonus is that there are pages and pages of lovely glossy photos, sketches, drawings, candid letters and personal quotes.

It doesn't matter that the designers featured are generally the creme de la creme of the design world, the interviews give you insights into their often humble beginnings and stories of starting out in their fields, and I'm all for that!