May Featured Members and Giveaways!

This month, please give a warm welcome to Benita from Bettsy Kingston and Katie from Kitty Boo Boo, as they give us a sneek peak into their fabulous worlds of crafty goodness, and give away some of their wonderful handmade items to two lucky readers. To enter is simple - simply leave us a comment at the bottom of this post. For more info (and to find out how to score an extra entry) read The Rules at the bottom of the post. Good luck everyone :)

Introducing BrisStyle member...


NAME: Katie Bellotti – Kitty Boo Boo (featuring Machinery)

ETSY SHOP NAME: misskittybooboo

1. Can you please describe the items you are giving away to one of our readers?

I have such a varied array of stuff that I like to make that I don’t think I can just settle on one item!

So I’m giving away a pair of sweet Japanese style ‘Galaxy’ Boo Boo Booties, made from 100% cotton with star print and lined with pink polka dots. They have flower shaped pink iridescent sequins as trim.

‘Galaxy’ Boo Boo Booties

Also a pair of ‘Candy Flower’ hair clips. These are made from Pink and Orange satin ribbon and hand crocheted flowers.

‘Candy Flower’ hair clips

And lastly, this gorgeous ‘Feed the Birds’ badge/button/pin is made from a recycled vintage children’s book.

‘Feed the Birds’ badge/button/pin

2. How would you describe your work?

Mish mashed. Eclectic jumble of goth, punk, rock, rockabilly, retro, vintage and colour. The stuff I make just reflects different aspects of me. Things I like, things I love, things I once was and things I am. I make stuff according to how I feel on that particular day, so one day I’m surrounded in black lace and PVC, the next it’s colourful owls and birds on baby bibs!


‘Machinery’ is a label I put most of my Medieval, Gothic, and Punk stuff under. I make accessories, slings and wraps for babies, clothing, toys and hairclips for kids, clothing, Roller Derby skirts, accessories and hairclips for women, and soon I’ll be making some shirts and capes for Men.

Just about everything is a one off. Some designs are basics but I change the fabrics and construction so that no two pieces are ever quite the same. If I make a custom order for someone, no-one else will ever get one like it without the original buyer's consent.

I love making things, and I really like that other people dig it too.

3. How did your Etsy shop come into being?

I sort of stumbled onto Etsy while I was looking for a teapot. I immediately fell in love with just about everything. I was a buyer on Etsy for a while before I started to sell there.


4. Who or What inspires you?

I’m inspired by so much around me. I carry a notebook that I scribble in and do weird interpretive drawings (that I can hardly decipher later!) I get so many ideas inspired by colours and shapes and just stuff everywhere around me that if I don’t write it down … it disappears.


I am inspired by anyone who is doing what they love because they LOVE it, and find that with my fellow crafters this is exactly why they do it.

The other BrisStylettes, the Brown Owls and some standouts are Jodie from Ric Rac, Amanda Soule from Soule Mama, Pip Lincolne from Meet me at Mike’s and Kathleen Dougherty from Grosgrain.

5. Do you ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ as part of your creative process? If yes, how is your art / craft eco-friendly?

Most of the stuff I make is made from new materials. However the images for most of my badges are recycled from books and magazines. I have always been a re-fashion/up-cycler for myself in regards to clothes but lately some of the things I wear have gained some interest so I will soon be selling up-cycled and re-fashioned stuff soon.

6. Can you describe your studio / work area?

Well that’s a touchy subject around here! (Hee hee) I kind of explode all over the house. I have a lovely room downstairs where I sew which doubles as a guest room but I kind of have small work areas everywhere.


I make hairclips at the dining room table, I cut out fabric either in the dining room or lounge or downstairs on a trestle table. I have a bag of scraps stashed behind the couch so when I sit down I can make yo-yo’s or appliqué shapes. I literally have stashes everywhere.


Not everyone is as enthusiastic though. For example if I were my husband: "How can you work in here? Do you need all that stuff? What are you going to do with this? When are you going to move that pile of fabric? Can we have the dining room back soon?"

7. What is your favourite thing in the shop at the moment?

Oh I love it all. I seem to only make things I really like! I’m amazed most of it actually makes it into the shop! At the moment my favourites are the ‘Twenties Dames’ clips, the ‘Panther on the Loose’ skirt, the ‘Hot Rod’ Apron, the ‘Derby Skirts’ and well I better stop because I can go on and on here!

8. Do you have any other places that people can view your work?

You can find me all over the place:

Blog: http://www.misskittybooboo.blogspot.com
Web: http://www.kittybooboo.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kittybooboo1 AND http://www.myspace.com/machineryapparel
Facebook: (look for Kitty BooBoo)

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Introducing BrisStyle member...


NAME: Benita McGovern

ETSY SHOP NAME: Bettsy Kingston

1. Can you please describe the items you are giving away to one of our readers?

Either a ruffle pant for the girls or a pair of bloomers for the boys in the Hungry Caterpillar. I had been wanting this material for ages and finally found it at a local fabric store. I couldn't wait to make a pair for my son.

Girls' Hungry Caterpillar ruffle pants

OR

Boys' Hungry Caterpillar Bloomers

2. How would you describe your work?

Free spirited. I like to be a little tongue in cheek as well. Some of my favourite creations: P is for Punk and Miet ruffle pants were made for fun and I didn't think they would sell, but they did.


3. How did your Etsy shop come into being?

I was on maternity leave with my second child and wanted something challenging to do. I found a very old pattern for a retro style baby pant in a charity store. The previous pattern owner was a lady by the name of Betty Kingston. They took 4 hrs to make, but I was hooked. I don't get the same level of satisfaction from making anything else. I'm completely addicted to all things Etsy.

4. Who or What inspires you?

I’m inspired by many things from old B movie posters to the latest fabric collections. I get so excited when I come up with another idea for a ruffle combination, I just can't wait to create them.


I'm now back at work full time and find it hard sometimes to juggle everything, but being a member of the BrisStyle Team is still the reason I'm here, there is such a good sense of community and talent working together, they are all very inspiring and reinforce quality in my work.


5. Can you describe your studio / work area?

I started in the lounge room and have ended up in the Laundry.


I covet crafters with open studio spaces! I have a cutting board over the sink and everything within a bookshelf.


6. What is your favourite thing in the shop at the moment?

Free Spirit ruffle pants. I love the polka dot ruffle with the raspberry stripe. The pink balloon material was a lucky and rare find. I have never found more and down to my last metre as I speak. It was also the material I used to make my very first pair, so I guess I'm a little sentimental about them as well.


7. Do you have any other places that people can view your work?

My blog www.bettsykingston.blogspot.com

Thank you Katie and Benita!

The rules:

Simply leave a comment on this post to be in the running to win one of these two fabulous giveaways. Be sure to leave a way for us to contact you. If you don’t have a blog, please include your email address. Only one entry per person. You may enter twice if you mention this giveaway on your blog. If you choose to do this, please pop back after posting to your blog and include the url address to the post it was mentioned on here in the comments. This will count as your second entry. International folk are welcome to enter. BrisStyle members and their immediate families (ie: husbands/partners, dependent children, and their computer savvy pets) are excluded from entering all BrisStyle giveaways. A name will be randomly drawn on the 25th of this month and the winner will be announced on the blog on that same day.

Once again, the very best of luck to you all!