BrisStylette Melanie takes part in World's Greatest Shave!

BrisStylette Melanie from Kimono Reincarnate is taking part in the World's Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation! Here's a little snippet from Melanie:

"When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, a rather rare form of lymphoma, in November last year, it was a shock to say the very least. I had no idea what to expect, what my role of carer was to be and how on earth I was going to manage it all with a new baby. Right from the start the Leukaemia Foundation stepped in. They offered caring advice and support, explained the treatment in much more detail than his doctor had time to do and were instantly like a new friend at our sides, one that I knew I could turn to at anytime. They continue to be there for us and have brightened up some very dark days. Through his treatment we continue to meet more people that have been helped by the Foundation in many ways including access to financial support and with accommodation for the families patients and their families.

So this year, I'm showing my passion for this cause and helping raise money by shaving off all my hair (down to a number two blade)."

You can show your support for Melanie by heading to her sponsorship page here and follow Melanie's progress on her blog here.

Hearts for Haiti

Hearts for Haiti is an Etsy collective where you'll find donated items from Etsy shops to raise money to rebuild Haiti following the devastating earthquake on January 12th. 100% of the proceeds from Hearts for Haiti go directly to Doctors Without Borders.

We encourage you to go and check out the shop where a number of our BrisStylettes have donated items. Here's a little peek at what you'll find from our members:

Large Art Card You are the Bloom in my Heart by our newest BrisStyle member Sandra Darling

Happy Heart Tee by Cute as Buttons

Upcycled army bag by Kerri's Hangups

Vintage Sheet Music 30mm Brass Locket by Mrs Smiley

The crafty world of Tracey D Designs

This week the BrisStyle team had a chat to one of our members Tracey Donohoe of Tracey D Designs. Tracey specialises in handmade cards, and from time to time, other beautiful things. Here's a little peek into her crafty world...


How would you describe your work?
Increasingly eclectic! I started out with papercrafts, but am more and more getting back to my sewing roots, and have been making handbags, totes and toys, and am now exploring mixed media. I’m working on a series of fabric appliquéd coasters and some ‘paper fabric’ at the moment. Greeting cards and papercrafts are still my mainstay. I’m just having a ball!!!

How did your Etsy shop come into being?
I had been making and selling my cards for quite some time and had a couple of different people suggest Etsy. In my usual way, I explored and set up shop all in the one afternoon!! (which is why my shop is actually traceyd01, because, although they tell you, I was in a hurry and didn’t realise that your username becomes your shop name!!!) I just love Etsy, it’s full of such talented people and wonderful, quirky things of beauty. And Etsy introduced me to the wonderful BrisStyle Team, which I find an absolute privilege to be a part of.

Fantasy Heart Journal

Who or What inspires you?
Colour, thrift shops, my button collection, my children, nature, and of course other artists… I went to see the APT recently and was inspired by many of the works there. If I’m in an uncreative space, I get onto Etsy and the BrisStyle blog and am soon back on track

Do you ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ as part of your creative process?
Yes, I do more and more as time goes on. I’m a regular at Reverse Garbage and was brought up to ‘make stuff out of other stuff’, so to me it’s a much more creative way of working, and living for that matter. I went to the Lifeline Bookfest last weekend, and now have lots of lovely old books and pages to reuse. All my cards are posted between recycled cardboard to protect them, and as much as I can, I use recycled or upcycled materials, and I recycle as much of my waste as I can.


Can you describe your studio / work area?
I’m very lucky, and have just moved my craft space from a spare bedroom to a free standing building at my place that we call ‘the cottage’. I teach card making and scrapbooking and the space is perfect for that. It’s extraordinarily messy at the moment, but that’s the creative process, right?!?!

6. What is your favourite thing in your shop at the moment?
Probably my favourite thing would be the set of Regal Wedding Invitations. I love the way they fold out to reveal different information, and the pockets with info cards inside. I also love the embellishments (which I found on Etsy) which really set them off. I’d say that once my butterflies and coasters are up, they will be my new favourites!!

Regal Wedding Invitations

Check out more of Tracey's work here:
Tracey D Designs on Etsy
Tracey's Craft Crush blog

Thanks so much Tracey for sharing your crafty world with us!

BrisStyle gives back

At each BrisStyle Indie Designers Market a charity is supported through the generous support of our members who donate handmade items for the BrisStyle raffle. We are delighted to announce that as a result of the December market $250 was raised for the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation (ACCF).

The ACCF is dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer in Australia and in developing countries. This is achieved through enabling public awareness programs, screening and related women’s health clinics and by providing cervical cancer vaccine to women who do not have access to it. Simple and inexpensive, but otherwise unavailable treatments can often prevent great suffering. For more information check out the ACCF website or this informative video.

Image from ACCF

To put things in perspective a donation of $50 will enable a girl in a developing country to have all three rounds of HPV vaccine over a 6 month period, or enable 3 women to attend a screening clinic. We were also pleased to discover that one of our market customers is now volunteering for the ACCF!

Photo by Kish Photography & Design

BrisStyle also raised $150 to go toward the Church Ground Funds of our market home at St Augustine's Church in Hamilton.