Crafty D.I.Y

There's now only 8 sleeps to go until the BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market on October 8. Hooray! Here's a little spring time tutorial to keep the little ones amused between now and then!

Image Source

The tutorial for these Paper Flower Pinwheels can be found over on the alphamom blog!

Introducing.....Casey McArdle Photography

Over the next few weeks we will be introducing you to some of the external stallholders who will be bringing their artistic flair to the BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market on Saturday, October 8th. First up is Casey McArdle Photography.....

Casey McArdle Photography is a small business run primarily from Narangba on the north side of Brisbane. Casey specialises in family photography including maternity, newborn, babies and families. She will be joining us on October 8th with a very special addition to her stall - a mini photo booth ready to take FREE photographs of your children! The images will be uploaded into a gallery on her website where you will have the opportunity to purchase digital files or photographic prints.

Casey would love to extend a very special offer to the BrisStyle market goers - not only is she offering $300 sessions which include a 1-2 hour photoshoot; disk of 15 high resolution images; and three mini 5 x 7 calendars for 2012, she will also throw in a complimentary 4 x 6 Christmas card design for you to send to all of your friends!

Please visit her website here and don't forget to say hi over on facebook too!

BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market

Saturday, October 8

9.00am - 2.00pm

St. Augustine's Church Hall & Grounds

Racecourse Road, Hamilton

Art Bites.....

We're so chuffed to announce that BrisStyle has won the support of Brisbane City Council via their amazing Art Bites program.  You may have noticed the little hint we dropped a few posts back when we announced that our next two BrisStyle Information Sessions would be supported by this very program!

Today, we're really exicted to announce that Art Bites will also be supporting three creative workshops at our upcoming BrisStyle Indie Eco Market on Saturday, November 12. So read on and get ready to book your spot:

Eco Workshop :: Rags to Roses

Make and take a unique statement piece of fabulous wearable art using recycled fabric and materials…plus…tips and tricks for extending your repertoire of eco-friendly hand-made.

Facilitator: Steph Morris from Wimcee
What: At the BrisStyle Indie Eco Market

When: Saturday, Nov 12, 2011, 10.00 – 11.00am
Where:St Augustine's, Hamilton

Eco Workshop :: Origami

Learn how to make eco origami models using pre-loved & salvaged papers. From traditional cranes to more curious objects this course is not just for the girls ... samurai warriors used to make small origami models too!

Facilitator: Gill Pyke from Catamation

What: At the BrisStyle Indie Eco Market

When: Saturday, Nov 12, 2011:: 11.00am – 12.00 noon 

Where:St Augustine's, Hamilton

Eco Workshop :: Cactus Pincushion

Create a quirky cactus pincushion from salvaged felt, eco-friendly toy filling, pins and vintage buttons. No need to water, and perfect for black thumbs!

Facilitator: Teneale Muir from Wicked Child Designs

What: At the BrisStyle Indie Eco Market

When: Saturday, Nov 12, 2011, 12.00 noon - 1.00pm
Where: St Augustine's, Hamilton

You may also be interested in the below workshop which is being run by BrisStylette Trish, from TrishAlan Designs, as part of the Art Bites program:

 

 

Kumihimo :: The Art of Samurai Braiding

Kumihimo is a Japanese form of braid making used by samurai warriors. Awaken your inner warrior when you learn two braid techniques.

Facilitator: Trish Goodfield from TrishAlan

When: Saturday, October 15, 2011, 10am – 12pm

Where: Bracken Ridge Hall, Bracken Ridge

:: Booking Information ::

All bookings for the above events must be done through qtix.

Bookings Open: Monday, 19th September

Bookings are Essential: call qtix on 136 246

TIME Fashion Parade

What's your fantasy?

TIME (Towards International Medical Equality), is a student-run non-for-profit organisation that is committed to the promotion and establishment of equitable health care at home and abroad.

This September, TIME is once again hosting their annual fashion parade. The parade will feature the work of both established local fashion houses and up-and-coming student designers, each of whom have developed a unique new collection specifically for this event.

Featured names include Aimee Kahl, Rhaman Donovan, Allanah Sarafian, Natasha Dearden, Sharon Williams (she's a BrisStyler!!!), Nadine of Spitfire Designs, and Teighan and Danielle of Teda Clothing.

This necklace by Bristyler, Sharon Williams, will be featured in the parade along with some of Shazzabeth's other jewellery designs!

There will also be a special performance by MedRevue Band!

:: Details ::

Where: The Old Museum, 460 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane
When: Wednesday, September 28
Time: 7.30pm - 10.30pm
Tickets: $12 TIME members, $15 non-members
Ticket Purchase: online

Let's Go Shopping

We're celebrating mothers this weekend with some pretty pastel pinks.

You can see more from these BrisStyle shops next month at the BrisStyle Indie Mother and Child Market on Saturday October 8th!!

Candy pink brooch

Edward and Lilly

Dusty pink sateen fabric necklace

Kitty Hugo

Original portrait painting of a special event

Warm Sigh

Pink fabric rosette hair clip

Chelley Bean Designs

Vintage table linen bunting

alipink

To take part in our weekly Let's Go Shopping meme, post your Etsy finds on your blog then pop back here and add the blog post link below. Don't forget to link back to this post so everyone can check out all the fabulous Etsy finds. Anyone can play along so come join in the fun!

Crafty D.I.Y

With the BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market nearly upon us we thought we would dedicate the next few Crafty D.I.Y posts to all the little people out there! This week we're loving the idea of creating fantasy shops, the perfect way to nurture a creative imagination.

Image Source

This Fantasy Flower Shop tutorial is from the FamilyFun website over here!

We can imagine a whole row of these little fantasy shops, a green grocer, a post office, a hardware store.....Let your imagination run wild!

Happy weekend crafty peeps!

Wild Strawberries

Strawberry season is slowly coming to an end in Queensland. If you have a punnet that doesn't look its best, why not try this simple yet yummy dessert tonight (it works really well with icecream and waffles!).


1 punnet strawberries, hulled and halved
1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 200C. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Take a large sheet of aluminium foil and fold in half. Then fold each side in 2cm, leaving the top open. Stuff the strawberry mix in this hole, then fold over a couple of times to close and secure.

Place it in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let it sit for a few minutes. Serve in martini or wine glasses with some cream.

Enjoy!!


Do you have an awesome strawberry recipe? Please share it with us!


Gorgeous strawberry pic was found here.

BrisStyle Colouring Competition

There's only 17 more sleeps until the much anticipated BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market hits Hamilton! We're counting down the days, can you tell? We will once again be running a fan-tabulous Colouring Competition on the day for all the junior artists out there!  The only difference this year is that you can download the colouring sheet ahead of time and bring your completed work of art along on the day!

Colouring Sheet Designed and Drawn by Sam from Jetta's Nest

:: How to Enter ::

Download the colouring sheet from here, colour it in, fill in all the important details and bring it along to the colouring space at the Oct 8 BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market. Alternatively, you can come along on the day and colour it in at our dedicated colouring space!

:: Prizes ::

There are 3 age categories for the competition. 1-4 years, 5-8 years and 9-12 years. There will be 1 winner from each age category. Each winner will receive a $20 BrisStyle gift voucher to spend at one of our BrisStyle markets! Yay!

Good Luck & Happy Colouring!

BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market

Saturday, October 8

9.00am - 2.00pm

St. Augustine's Church Hall and Grounds

Racecourse Road, Hamilton

Eckersley's Art Prize!

BrisStyle's very own resident artist, Eliza, from Warm Sigh Soap recently won the Eckersley's DRAW FROM LIFE drawing competition. The competition involved creating an original drawing based on life's influences. Below is Eliza's drawing which was selected as a winner out of more than 270 entries. What an amazing achievement!

Eliza's Art: What a talent!

Eliza is available to do portraits of either people or animals and can be contacted at eliza@elizasart.com or via her facebook page!

:: BrisStyle Information Sessions ::

Just when we thought it couldn't get any busier at BrisStyle HQ.....it's time to announce all the details for the remaining BrisStyle Information Sessions for 2011.

A big Thank-You to all who have attended this year's BrisStyle Information Sessions. As promised, we're excited to announce that our next two creative development sessions will be supported by the Brisbane City Council's Art Bites Program.

The sessions will still be hosted at our retro home in St. Augustine's church hall in Hamilton but the exciting news is that they will both be FREE events!

So, without further ado, here are the session details so you can make your bookings.....

:: OCT 22 :: From Hobby to Wholesaling ::

Pricing, Wholesaling and Consignment Tips for the Indie Crafter

Have you always dreamed of selling your handmade wares in a shop or gallery?  Let our panel of local experts give you some great advice on how to take your craft from hobby to wholesaling/consignment.
Whether you are just starting out or have been crafting for some time, this session will give you basic tips and tricks on turning your passion into profits.

This is the second in the series of Q&A information sessions where a panel of creative experts will impart their knowledge in a forum based setting. In this interactive session you'll gain insight into the different practices of each panelist and then have the opportunity to ask questions.

The who's who of your panel ::

• Vicki Sinclair from in.cube8r Brisbane
• Melanie Gray Augustin from Kimono Reincarnate
• Kellie Christie
• Belinda Chisolm from Sybella Boutique
• Amanda Whitelaw from Hungry Designs
• Nicole Zupanovic from Collecting Feathers

:: NOV 5 :: Social Media :: From Etsy and Beyond ::

With Jess Van Den from *bespoke zine* and Epheriell Designs

It's hard to ignore the popularity of social media in today's competitive marketplace. With so many social media outlets available it can be hard to know where to begin and how to make it work for any emerging indie craft business.

If you would like to know how to get started with social media and how to make it work for you, then this information session will answer all of your questions.

Presented by top blogger and social networker, Jess Van Den - from Epheriell Designs - participants will be sure to come away with lots of tips and tricks to kick start their success with social networking from handmade websites such as Etsy, to facebook, twitter, blogs...and beyond.

Bookings Open: 9am Monday 19th September

Bookings are Essential: call qtix on 136 246 or book online here

Session Dates:
Saturday Oct 22 :: From Hobby to Wholesaling ::
Saturday Nov 5 :: Social Media - From Etsy and Beyond ::

Time: 10am - 12noon

Place: St. Augustine's Church Hall, Racecourse Road, Hamilton, Brisbane

Price: FREE to all participants (bookings are essential)

Bring along:

• Your sense of adventure and humour
• A notebook and pen
• Your business cards to leave on our 'networking' table

Tea and Coffee are provided but please feel free to bring along a small plate of goodies to share for morning tea.

PLACES ARE LIMITED SO BOOK NOW!

Let's Go Shopping

Feeling crafty?  Why not purchase one of these rad BrisStyle items to help you out with your projects this Spring?

Patchwork doily pincushion

Moose and Bird

Vintage Family Circle 'Gifts To Make' Book

Under The Stairs

15 pastel blue doily sticker seals

3 Girls and a Goat

Gingham blue 'Invaded' fat quarter

Voodoo Rabbit

12 edible fondant baby onesie cupcake toppers

Enticing Icing

Next Saturday we'll start featuring some of the BrisStylers lined up for the next BrisStyle Indie Mother and Child Market on October 8th, so stay tuned for that one!!


To take part in our weekly Let's Go Shopping meme, post your Etsy finds on your blog then pop back here and add the blog post link below. Don't forget to link back to this post so everyone can check out all the fabulous Etsy finds. Anyone can play along so come join in the fun! 

Crafty D.I.Y

We were so taken with the classic, vintage style on the cover of the current issue of Peppermint Magazine that not only did we think it was worth another mention but we also wanted to play stylist to the lovely covergirl. We think this vintage inspired headpiece would look right at home with the lace dress on the cover!

The original concept for this headpiece is here and the tutorial is here! Thanks elizabeth anne designs for the great D.I.Y projects!

:: Lights, Camera, Action :: Info Session Wrap

Actually.... lighting, aperture, composition, angles, props, models, cameras and now action, with a capital A!

Mel captivates the audience

Melanie Gray Augustin, from Kimono Reincarnate, certainly had all her tips and tricks happening on how to take amazing photos for our online stores. As you can imagine we were all soaking them up like the veritable online-crafting-hungry-sponges that we are!

Indie Cupcakes courtesy of Tanz

Morning Tea was once again reminiscent of a CWA get together with Indie Cupcakes and other home baked delights ...and then we were all rarin' to go again to get as many more tips as we could from Mel.

It was such a successful session that we will repeating it at least twice in 2012. So stay tuned for all the dates coming soon and in the meantime fire your camera up for the 5 hot tips from the day:

1. Turn off your flash and use natural light wherever possible
2. Crisp clean pics are the go - use your aperture if you have one on your camera
3. Shoot from different angles and remember the rule of thirds in your composition
4. Keep your background simple and show your item in situ (modeled)
5. Be consistent with your style / overall look

Once again a big Thank You to Mel and to all those who came along to share the day. To keep the session and the tips alive, we'd LOVE you to share your hot tips, so please leave a comment here or on facebook!

STOP PRESS: Very exciting news indeed coming real soon about the October 22 and November 5 BrisStyle Information Sessions. Mark the dates in your diaries as it's going to be very exciting!

Minty Fresh!

For all you magazine lovers out there, the latest issue of Peppermint Magazine is out now! Hooray! We absolutely adore the cover of Issue 11.....classic, vintage style never goes out of fashion! Wouldn't you agree?

Issue 11: so pretty!

Pick up a copy at your local newsagent or pop over to the Peppermint website and subscribe for just $44.00 AUD! Happy reading!

:: I Heart Etsy :: Notes :: Part 3

Welcome to the last installment of our :: I Heart Etsy :: Information Session SNAPSHOT notes.  If you missed Part 1 or 2 you can check them out here and here.  Today we will be discussing the ins & outs of getting your shop noticed: listing/relisting, Etsy Communities, telling the world and staying active. We might even include some useful links for further reading! If you're after more info we will be running the :: I Heart Etsy :: Information Session again next year, so stay tuned for all the deets!

Image Courtesy of Wicked Child Designs

 Listing/Relisting

• Uncle Gravy's Renewing Agent - for automated 'hands free' renewing of your Etsy listings or 'hands free' relisting of your sold items.  This article has more info as well as download and installation links. Free 10 Day Trial!
• SimpleList2 is an iPhone/iPad or Android app specifically for Etsy sellers.  There's more info over here.
• Relist to the US market before you go to bed or first thing in the morning.  Between 5am-8am is ideal!
• Relist regularly - hourly, daily, weekly depending on your level of business.
• The more you list/relist the more you will be seen on the first pages of your given category.
• Renew sold items that you make multiples of instead of creating a whole new listing.

Etsy Communities

• Important for support and making connections.
• Join an Etsy team such as BrisStyle. For more details on becoming a BrisStyle member click here.

Tell the World
Spread the word about your Etsy shop via a Facebook fan page, a blog or a Twitter account. There's a great article over on the Marketing to Women Online blog all about why social media is so valuable.

Stay Active
Buyers want to trust you, and the more active you are on Etsy, the more they know you've invested in your new endeavour.  Keep adding stock to your shop and check out other ways to connect with your community.

Useful Links
There's a lot that goes into opening a new Etsy shop but it sure is thrilling! Just take it step-by-step and be realistic with your expectations.  Cherish your first views, hearts, conversations and sales.  Before you know it you'll be a pro and will hardly remember how nerve-wracking these first steps were. Here are some links to help you get started:

• Etsy Apps and Shop Tools
• How-To's about Selling
• Shop Stats
• Etsy Success eNewsletter

We hope you've enjoyed the 3 part :: I Heart Etsy :: Information Session SNAPSHOT notes. For more info on upcoming BrisStyle Information Sessions pop over to our website.

Let's Go Shopping

Need a hand with your photography posting on Etsy?  Here's a few BrisStyler pics we thought were pretty fantabulous. The handmade items for sale are pretty awesome too.

For more hints and tricks on photography, we hope you've signed up for the Lights, Camera, Action BrisStyle Info Session today. It's gonna be ace!

Resin bead long necklace

Strat Designs

Skinny resin bangle in putty grey

Drift Gifts

My childhood home archival art print

Penelope and Pip

Green turquoise studs

Hot Toffee

Valentine's cherry red love paper garland

3 Girls and a Goat

Peace crane brooch

Kimono Reincarnate

To take part in our weekly Let's Go Shopping meme, post your Etsy finds on your blog then pop back here and add the blog post link below. Don't forget to link back to this post so everyone can check out all the fabulous Etsy finds. Anyone can play along so come join in the fun!

Crafty D.I.Y

Spring has most definitely sprung, and what better way to celebrate then decorating your house and perhaps even your yard with these giant paper flowers.....

Image Source

Pop over to the '100 Layer Cake' for this 'spring lovin' tutorial!

:: I Heart Etsy :: Notes :: Part 2

Did you miss Part 1 of the :: I Heart Etsy :: Information Session SNAPSHOT notes? Don't fret, you can catch up over here then pop back for Part 2. In this installment we will be briefly covering pricing, shipping/postage, product titles, product descriptions and tagging. Don't forget that we will be running the :: I Heart Etsy :: Information Session again next year so for the full low down stay tuned for the announcement of our 2012 sessions.

Image Courtesy of Wicked Child Designs

Pricing
Your time is valuable and you should reflect this in the price of your items. You might like to read over this useful Etsy article when contemplating the price of your items. For a more in depth look at pricing, stay tuned for details of our October 22 Information Session - Pricing, Wholesaling & Consignment!

Shipping/Postage

• Make your postage as cheap as you can.
• Postage will be cheaper if you keep your packages under 20mm in thickness.
• Take time packaging your items - we all love receiving a nicely wrapped parcel from the postman.
• Add something small in with your items as a 'thank-you'.
• Buy all your postage needs - envelopes/padded bags etc. in bulk to save $$ - they are cheaper by the 100.
• If selling regularly, register at your local post office/business centre for a Business Post account - this will reduce the cost of shipping both locally and overseas.
• A useful link - Shipping How-To.

Product Titles
Titles should be descriptive instead of whimsical.

• Ensure you mirror your description details in your tags.
• Say what the item is first ie: earrings, then colour and materials.
• Keep any whimsical product names to the end e.g. Blue Moon.
• Use both Australian and US spellings - depending on your biggest customer base.

Product Descriptions
Remember to answer all the questions your buyers might have in the description field of your listing.

• Make your descriptions quirky and interesting.
• Put all your descriptions in a word document for easy editing and uploading.
• Ensure you describe colours and sizes accurately.
• When pitching to the US market put your sizes in inches as well as centimetres.
• If selling clothing/shoes then add a conversion link to your descriptions to make it easy for your customer: something like this.
• Your descriptions should be personable, articulate and free from spelling and grammar issues.

Tags
Get specific! Colour, texture, style and size are as important as the type of item it is.

• Use the one tag line to enter multiple words.
• Ensure you are as descriptive as you can be with your colours.
• If you belong to a street team then add their name to your tags.
• Add your location ie. Brisbane Australia.
• Some useful tips for tagging.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of the :: I Heart Etsy :: Information Session SNAPSHOT notes. In Part 3 we will be covering the ins & outs of getting your shop noticed: listing/relisting, Etsy Communities, telling the world and staying active.

Click here for more info on BrisStyle's upcoming Information Sessions!

WIN: A Double Pass to 'The Unexpected Variety Show'

Laughter is the best medicine, it's infectious, easy to do anytime of the day and most importantly it's free! If you're suffering from the winter blues and are in need of a good ol' laugh read on as we may have just what you are looking for.

The lovely and rather humorous Jenny from "The Unexpected Variety Show" is giving one lucky BrisStyle blog/facebook follower the chance to win a double pass to her comedy show this Friday night at the Brisbane Powerhouse.  To win, all you need to do is tell us why you need a good ol' laugh. The winner will be selected at random on Wednesday night so be sure to leave your contact email with your comment.

Brisbane Powerhouse - Visy Theatre

119 Lamington Street, New Farm

Friday, September 9

8.00pm

Price: Full $20, Concession $15

The show is a fusion of stand-up, character and musical comedy, with storytelling, in a theatrical piece which has received rave reviews at the recent Cabaret Fringe Festival in Adelaide.

"Audiences were treated to a clever, funny and moving show...Wynter's energy and passion were captivating...her honest and clever delivery moved the audience from laughter to tears. If you get a chance to see "The Unexpected Variety Show" you have to do it. You'll laugh and you'll be inspired."
GlamAdelaide

For more details visit:

Comic Mummy Website

Jenny's Website

Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

materialistic @ Reverse Garbage

Are you a lover of all things sustainable, re-used and up-cycled? Then you just may be interested in this fabulous exhibition opening at Reverse Garbage called "materialistic".

"materialistic" is a sustainable art/craft exhibition being held in Reverse Garbage's new gallery space, "Reverse Emporium".  The focus of the exhibiton is on textiles and how people can RE-USE discarded textiles to create interesting and beautiful objects! Are you intrigued? We are.

The exhibition will feature cushions, jewellery, soft toys, clothing, fascinators, bags, artworks and chandeliers/mobiles.

Below are some of the amazing pieces that will be on show.....

Little Owls by Karen Drimer

Printed Images on Fabric/Timber by Belinda James

Coin Purses by Keiko Kato

Zipper and Vintage Button Jewellery by Morgan Kennedy from Under the Stairs Studio

Crochet Copper Wire Jewellery by Rebekah Evans

There will be an array of fabulous upcycled handcrafted objects on display and for sale. Exhibition nights at Reverse Garbage are always a lot of fun, so grab some friends and make a night of it, there will be live entertainment, a bar and late night shopping in the warehouse if inspiration strikes!

"materialistic"

Opening Night: Saturday, September 10

Time: 6.00pm - 9.00pm

Where: 20 Burke Street, Woolloongabba  QLD  4102

For more details or to RSVP visit the Reverse Garbage website!

Reverse Emporium's last opening night!