Unleashing My Creativity

Images from the latestst issue of Country Style

I had the most wonderful afternoon at the LISA MADIGAN store in Berry on Saturday.

Lisa has been a friend of mine for many years, in fact we attended Primary and part of High School together and I have been dying to visit her and her sublime shop for quite some time now, so when Lisa offered me a place in her wokshop "Unleash your Creativity" I jumped at the chance.

Lisa has been an artist for as long as I can remember, creativity runs in her blood, and she has been creating stunning works as a professional artist for over 10 years. I admire Lisa's style more than anyone elses, her pure white canvas with tonal creams, grey, brown , blacks and the occasional pop of naural colour exudes warmth and comfortable style and makes my heart ache. Her store is simply stunning and if your ever in Berry its the only place in town for brilliant coffee which Lisa will make for you herself!

The workshop was just what I needed to get me thinking about what lies at the heart of my creativity and what really motivates me to make and create.

With all the incredible artists, makers and crafters atound the world now sharing what they create on the world wide web, it can be easy to get caught up with a million images, inspirations and ideas all competing for space in my little head. It can be overwhelming seeing so many great ideas and sometimes it gets me thinking just a little that maybe my craft and what I make pales in comparison.

It was so nice to get back to basics and do a little painting and sketching and really take the time to THINK instead of DO. I was so inspired when I got home that I spent half of  Sunday and Monday putting whats important to me and My Handmade Heart down on paper. Hopefully as a result of all of this you will start to see some changes going on here soon, maybe a website in the works, a new blog space and some more serious craft and carefully created and well considered useful items.

Untill then, if im not here, I will be off in my happy place THINKING.......

Image From LISA MADIGAN

Image From LISA MAGIGAN

My Handmade Heart on Instagram

I'm on Instagram - Follow me HERE

Ye Olde Shoppe

My Handmade Heart featured on Paper Heart Weddings

There was a lovely featured on My Handmade Heart shared on the beautiful Paper Heart Wedding website last week. The ladies behind Paper Heart Wedding are collecting the best unique, hand-crafted and sustainable crafts for weddings and just all round niceness.

You can read the full feature HERE, but if you cant be bothered clicking over, here's a mini extract from the feature - all about how My Handmade Heart came to be!

How did it all begin?

Instinctively drawn to the creative arts, I have been creating artworks and “making” since early childhood. Passionate about colour and with an eye for design, I have stitched and folded, cut and pasted my way through life; preferring to make than buy, to recycle, reinvent and re-use, to ‘mend and make do’.It was this creative ethic and understanding of how special a handmade item can be that lead to the creation of my unique, handmade products. 

I have always been a maker since early childhood, but My Handmade Heart really began its life with an ending of another. When my Grandfather passed away in 2009 I wasn’t happy with the idea that all his clothing would be thrown out or donated to charities. He had always taken pride in his appearance and had a wonderful collection of patterned button down shirts in crisp cotton. I decided to save his best shirts and reuse them in a series of small hand sewn “memory” quilts for myself and my Mum and Aunty (his daughters). I enjoyed the process of reinventing the shirts into quilts so much that I just kept making stuff, when I ran out of the shirt material, I found other sustainable and reusable types of fabrics, from skirts, shirts, knits, bed sheets and blankets.

What do you love about what you do?

I love having the freedom to create one off pieces and try my hand at new ideas whenever I feel like it. My Handmade Heart is constantly evolving and not creating the same items over and over allows me to explore and expand my creativity. Every piece I make is such a pleasure to create and I enjoy being able to customise and make every item individual and unique for every customer.

Link With Love - Credit Where Credit's Due

Thanks to a recent blog piece on The Red Thread, I have just discovered LINKwithlove and the  Pinterest Project. 

"A kind social media experiment to reach as many Pinterest users as possible (and Pinterest) to raise awareness about the importance of LINKING to the original source + respecting intellectual property online."

I have a bee in my bonnet about the correct crediting of Creative's and the rampant use of images without links back to original sources. 
Too many times have I seen amazing work un-Credited or used on websites without permission, Original images re-purposed and original ideas and products copied and re-produced! 

It really makes me upset because I know how hard all of these people work to create such beauty and often if your a stylist, designer or a photographer, an image or photograph is all you have left as evidence of a days hard work! To have someone appropriate or use that image without passing on credit or linking to an original allows other to believe that the image/design or style belongs to the person or blogger who posted it................so PLEASE.............LINK WITH LOVE

Mexican Beach Fiesta Inspiration

Im thinking about having a Mexican Beach Fiesta for our next party.

Some of you may remember seeing our "Winter Solstice Forest Dinner Party", it was such a success and so satisfying seeing it all come together, that my bestie and partner in crime  and I are starting to think about the next one. 

Its a beautiful Springy Spring and turning into a HOT Summer here in Sydney and with Day of the Dead coming up and a steamy and colourful Summer on the way, a Mexican Beach Party seemed like the perfect fit!!! Ive been trawling the net for inspiration and cool party products.

You can find these fab products HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE or click on the ETSY treasury in the post   below to browse the awesome collection of  Mexican Party items I have selected.

Mexican Beach Fiesta - ETSY Treasury