December Featured Members and Giveaways - PART 1

This month, we have been getting into the Christmas spirit here, with not two but FOUR giveaways for the month of December. Hence, the first two giveways will run for the first two weeks, and the second two giveaways will go up on 14th December and run until 28th December.

So without further ado, please give a warm welcome to the first two lovely BrisStylettes who will be giving away some gorgeous handmade goodies. Ali from Jellygnite and Little Jellygnite, and Robyn from Hot Fudge will be giving us a sneak peak into their fabulous worlds of crafty goodness as well as offering up some delectable creations for two of our lucky readers to win.

To enter the giveaway is simple - just 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 :)
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Introducing BrisStyle member...


NAME: Ali Chisholm
ETSY SHOP NAME: Jellygnite & Little Jellygnite

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

Sweet little ‘Cherry’. She’s a Dashie Dog from my ‘Little Loxies’ range.


The Dashie Dog pattern was made from a drawing of a sausage dog, done by my then 4-year-old son. Cherry is made using vintage fabrics; a bed sheet and dressmaking offcuts. She is happiest when snuggling into a little person’s arm!


2. How would you describe your work?

My jellygnite work (brooches, books, stationery) celebrates vintage fashions, patterning and old paper ephemera. LittleJellygnite softies are made simply, with re-used/vintage fabrics and a lot of love. They each have their own personality.

3. How did your Etsy shop come into being?

I was on maternity leave with my second child during 2007, making and crafting and surfing the net – I discovered Etsy and an outlet for my crafting!

4. Who or What inspires you?

A nostalgic love of thriftiness, vintage designs, simplicity and my children’s creations inspire my work. I like to try and ‘reduce and reuse’ as much as I can in my creations in order to try to tread more lightly on the earth; I look to my mum and grandma for inspiration. Vintage designs, fashions and patterns have long inspired me; I have a lovely collection of fashion, magazines, books and patterns from the past. Also, the simplicity and joyful nature of children’s drawings always brings a smile to my face! (being a primary school Art teacher, I have an endless supply of this kind of wonderful inspiration!)



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

All of the fabrics used in my LittleJellygnite softies are vintage pieces, dressmaking scraps or upcycled clothes etc. I like the challenge of rummaging through my stash to find fabric pieces that work together to transform into softies! My new eco-envelopes are made similarly.
My jellygnite brooches, gift tags and notebooks contain a large percentage of (if not all) re-used materials: mat board scraps, vintage papers, pages from old books, cereal boxes, old fabrics…


6. Can you describe your studio / work area?

I am so very lucky to have an entire room of my own dedicated to creating things. It has a desk for my laptop and ‘making’ as well as a sewing table, a bookcase, a big old comfy chair and special things on the walls. It is full of things that make me happy (and a cupboard bulging with fabric, papers, card and art supplies!) … sometimes, just going in there restores my spirit! My children also love sharing the space with me – often ‘hanging out’ with me in there.


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

Hmmmm, I think my favourites are my newest things; my eco-envelopes – which are so fun to make – and my new gift tags, both in my jellygnite shop. … but I do so love my little softies!!


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

Shops in Brisbane that stock my things are ‘Nook’ in West End and ‘Lace and Bark’ in Nundah. I also have a blog: http://charlieandgrace.blogspot.com/.

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Introducing BrisStyle member...


NAME: Robyn Dixon
ETSY SHOP NAME: Hot Fudge


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

I’m giving away a Noah’s Ark children’s library/toy bag. It’s quite versatile and can also be used as a nappy bag, or even as a shopping tote. I have a couple of these bags at home, full of books and toys, all ready for when the grandchildren come visiting, so they make great bags for doting grandparents.





2. How would you describe your work?

I specialise in classic children’s clothing, turning them into one-of-a-kind garments with different fabric choices. I use only good quality fabric because I want the clothing to last as long as possible. Some of my dresses have hems which can be extended to grow with the child, while others can be used as tops to be worn with pants or shorts once the child has outgrown it.



3. How did your Etsy shop come into being?

I was looking for an outlet to sell my children’s clothing when my daughter suggested I try Etsy. I hadn’t even realised that such a website existed, so I was quite excited to find it.

4. Who or What inspires you?

What, apart from my seven grandchildren, you mean? I guess the thing that inspires me first and foremost is colour and the wonderful things which can happen with the right combinations. I’m always making mental notes whenever I see a combination which just “clicks” – it can happen in the supermarket, walking through the park, just about anywhere, really. I’m afraid I’m guilty of spending more time than I should playing with different fabric combinations before I come to one which works for me, but it’s fun and all part of the finished product.

5. Can you describe your studio / work area?

My sewing room is a spare bedroom which is a little space deprived, I’m afraid. Being an incurable fabricaholic, I am reduced to using about a quarter of my cutting table for the actual cutting process, with fabric bolts taking up a fair chunk of the balance, and smaller pieces of fabric stored in plastic bins along the back of the table. Then there’s the built-in wardrobe which is crammed with quilting fabric, and what’s the use of a good floor if you can’t use it for fabric which may come in handy some day?




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

I guess my favourite thing in my shop at the moment is this twirly knot dress featuring cute little ducks:


I’m also working on a new range of bow dresses which I will have up in my shop once our BiDM market on 5 December is behind us.

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

Blog: http://www.hotfudge8.blogspot.com

MadeIt: http://www.madeit.com.au/hotfudge

Twitter: http://twitter.com/hotfudge8

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26865340@N02/
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Thank-you Ali and Robyn!

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 14th of this month and the winner will be announced on the blog on that same day.