Monday Maker - Meet Yvonne & Dolly from Lemondoll

This week we will get to know Yvonne from Lemon Doll Illustrations and her gorgeous caravan studio, Dolly.

Read on to find out what makes her creatively tick.

Hello Yvonne, and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us today.

Firstly I'm curious to know.

Were you creative as a child?

I recall keeping a day to day Diary as a child and always wanting to draw little depictions of my very important or hugely dramatic day!  Mum gave me this Diary on a recent visit from Ireland and I couldn't believe she had looked after it all these years. My amazing Mum x

I enjoyed Art at school but never pursued it.  Instead I chose secretarial studies, however, when I had my first little girl we began drawing pictures on her chalkboard and low and behold my love for drawing was pretty much reignited.

Do you come from a creative family?

Definitely. They never sit still for a second. Mum is always rummaging around looking for her next project to upcycle/paint/wallpaper.

Dad has practically built their beachside cottage from scratch and my brother is a very talented hair colourist (proud sis here).

How would you describe your work?

My hobby is my work and I am genuinely delighted to be doing what I love most and making a living from it.  

I have a passion for everything and anything with a connection to the past. I seek out vintage crockery and hand draw a variety of illustrations directly onto the plates, cups, and vases.  

They can feature cute little buildings from my local village Sandgate, vintage suitcases, old world quirky characters and gorgeous plush antique household items and furniture.

I also love to draw illustrations on paper and create little characters who while away the hours frolicking with friends.  Each character has his or her own quirky personality.  

How has your work evolved since you started?

I took the transitional step from drawing on chalkboard to drawing on paper.  Although, I have been known to improvise and draw on whatever is close at hand i.e. chocolate boxes, paper plates, receipts and planks of wood!  

I love the sheer simplicity of drawing on paper with pencil.  I have recently begun creating digital images from my hand drawn illustrations and applying clean crisp lines.  My favourite part is the colouring in. Bliss!

How did you start selling online?  I went along to an Etsy market a few years ago after having my first bambino and was really impressed by the quality and professionalism on display. 

I was an Etsy virgin if it’s okay to say that!! I walked away hugely inspired with a head full of dreams and possibilities and that general feeling of “Wow there are other people besides me that enjoy sitting down and doing something creative.

Who or what inspires you?

My illustrations have been inspired by a ridiculous amount of both personal and awe inspiring memories in my life.

♥ watching old world movies with my cousins

♥ being mesmerized by the beautiful, glamorous and glitzy stage costumes

♥ inhaling the elegant and jaw dropping vintage fashions of the day or as my Nan would say the ‘rig outs’

♥ being fascinated by the neat as a pin and not a hair out of place vintage hairstyles. I have truly unruly hair!

♥ I am smitten when I see beautiful hand crafted antique furniture and gorgeous Georgian/Victorian round silk cushions, and last but not least;

♥ My heart skips a beat when I see some of the beautiful ornate colonial buildings in Sandgate and Brisbane surrounds.

Do you reduce, reuse, and recycle as part of your creative process?

The three R’s are most definitely the way to go.                                         

How is your art eco-friendly?

By Recycling and reusing vintage crockery and injecting them with a little extra personality whilst not completely taking away from the integrity of the piece.

Saving these beautiful treasured pieces from landfill is paramount to me.

Can you tell us a bit about Dolly

My Art Studio is my 1954 Vintage Caravan “Dolly”.  I found her on gumtree and it was love at first sight.  Dolly is my Art and Craft sanctuary!  Originally grey and white in colour she is now a combination of colours and textures.  Think Kath Kidston meets Laura Ashley meets Retro!  

I miraculously house pretty much most of my stock in Dolly. My pencils, watercolour paints, brushes, ink pens, paper, cardstock, jewellery pieces, and crockery.  I have even managed to squeeze in my supersized Printer!  

It took me a while to organise a place for everything.  I now know where most of my stuff is which a miracle in itself for me! Plus I had to clean her up for photos for this interview! 

What is your favourite thing to make?

Of late my favourite thing to make is patterns.  What a wonderful feeling it would be for me to see one of my patterned designs on fabric. I have that one on my list of goals to achieve. 

How did your business name Lemon Doll come about?

I had been trying to come up with a name for ages and just couldn't seem to find anything that made me reach that va va voom moment until one day I heard someone ask for a label in a shop called Living Doll and the name “Lemon Doll” sprung to mind.  I felt it had a vintage twist (pardon the pun!)

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?

I would ideally love to see Lemon Doll Illustrations holding a really strong market and retail presence over the next 12 months.  

It would be a huge sense of fulfilment to see my stock selling well at the Markets, at the gorgeous local Hand Made Artisan stores in Brisbane, and last but not lease selling wonderfully Online over the next 12 months.  How good would that be? Must put that down on my Vision Board!!

What’s your top tip to others wanting to break into the handmade/creative market?

Keep an Ideas notepad on you at all times! 

Open an Online Shop.  It’s extremely easy to set up…it really is!  This will push you to create what you want to create because you will feel that your Online Shop’s shelves are in desperate need of stock.  This will hopefully push you even more.

Focus on one thing at a time! I tell myself that day in and day out.   

What is a typical creative day for you?

 7.00am​I love my sleep so I really have to push myself to get up & walk zombified to the coffee machine!!  All good to go now! I keep on top of the kids to get ready for school etc.   

8.15 ​Drop off kids – do a little happy dance…No of course I don’t do that!!! 

9.00​Come home – Clean my topsy turvy house 

10:00​Pick job at hand for the morning – i.e. Draw a custom Vintage Plate Design, Create pencil illustration, Watercolour completed illustrations, Create digital illustration, Print Final illustrations on my Printer etc.2.00pm​Package finished Brooches and store

2.30​Pick up my little angels

3.30​Have snack – Catch up on all our day’s events

4:30​Get everything organised for the next day

6.00​Dinner

11.00 ​Sleep J zzzz

Do you have a  Favourite quote?“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” 

And "If the mountain won’t come to Muhammed then Muhammed must go to the Mountain” 

Do you have a favourite movie or CD you love to listen or watch while creating?

Caro Emerald, Ellie Golding, Lily Allen, and Eliza Doolittle. Generally anything upbeat that keeps me motivated.

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?”

 A cute aqua coloured crochet Beret from a local lady who is just starting up her own little business.  

Where can we find you online/stockists?

www.lemondoll.com.au

www.lemondoll.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/lemondoll

www.instagram.com/lemondollillustrations/

How long have you been a member of BrisStyle?​2 months now – Yippee!

And How did you find out about BrisStyle?

Instagram and the Markets. I went onto the BrisStyle Instagram account and followed their page.  I attended a Workshop and spoke to one of the Events Co-ordinators and it peaked my interest from thereon in. 

Why did you become a member Yvonne?

I wanted to create as many opportunities to get Lemon Doll Illustrations widely known in the Handmade and Artisan world.  My head and my heart advised me to jump on board with BrisStyle to promote my small Business and learn from other well respected and highly regarded creatives in this industry.  BrisStyle also have an excellent reputation in the Handmade and Creative world.  I also love how they have a passion for supporting small businesses.

​Last but not least, Why do you craft?

For the pure LOVE of it x

Thanks so much Yvonne and Dolly for sharing a little bit of yourself with us all.

We look forward to seeing you very soon debuting at the next Brisstyle market.

Anita x

Monday Maker - Meet Diana from Unique Lulu

Today in our Monday Maker Series we are chatting to Diana from Unqiue LuLu...

    

Were you creative as a child/do you come from a creative familyI come from a very creative family, but I was the one whose creativity was lost somewhere in the universe. As a child, I was never creative, struggled with it and felt a bit left aside as everyone in my family was so creative. 

How would you describe your work?

As a fun creative process where I can express myself and be who I really am.

How has your work evolved since you started

I have to say it has evolved A LOT, when I started it was just something that I liked, now it's something I feel passion for and that has given me the tools and motivation to look out on how to improve my products, the production, materials and designs. 

I was a bit terrified of doing this and telling the world who I am, creating my social media pages, the gatherings, meet ups, etc. has given Unique Lulú a chance to be out there, for me that is a massive evolution considering I only started a couple of months ago.

How did you start selling online/ Etsy?
I was encouraged by my sister to start an etsy shop with the few products I had at the moment.

Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by tribal, nordic and modern patterns. I’m obsessed with pastel colours but have found lately that neon colours go really well with my products. 

Do you reduce, reuse, recycle as part of your creative process?  
I do reuse and recycle some of the materials. For the handmade stamps, I use the leftovers of the cork that I use for the coasters. And the leftover from the fabric that I use as lining is also used as part of the packaging process of my product.

Describe your studio/workspace?
I work from home, my dining room/studio is where I create and produce.

What is your favourite thing to make?

I would have to say creating the stamps and creating fun designs with them for my products.

How did your business/shop name come about?

Unique Lulú comes from my middle name, which is Lucía, it was also my grandmother’s name who was VERY creative.

I love my middle name but it has always been that… “Just my middle name” so I wanted to be able to actually feel identified with it and, in a way, it also honours my grandmother.

‘Unique’ describes my products; they are all different and funky.

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?

I see myself working full time in Unique Lulú, it might take more than 12 months, but I’m sure I’m on the right path and of course, my main goal is to make people feel happy with what I produce. 

What’s your top tip to others wanting to break into the handmade/creative market?

To STRONGLY believe in yourself and what you are capable of!

Describe your typical creative day.

Everyday is different for me. No day is the same, they are all creative, just expressed in different ways. One day you are smashing your designs and then another day you are a star managing your social media networks (for me they consume a lot of your creativity) and so on. 

I try not to fight with myself if I’m not creative one day with one thing in particular. I will swap to another (of the many) tasks that have to be done. 

Favourite quote?

“As you place more and more of your energy on what you intend to manifest, you’ll start seeing those intentions materializing”  - Dr. Wayne Dyer

What is your favourite Music or movie to have playing while creating ? 

Folk/Indie music is my favourite 

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?

A bird painting made by an amazing Colombian artist. It was painted on a paper made out of vegetable fibre which gives it a really cool rustic vibe and outlines the details of the bird. 

Where can we find you online/stockists (links etc)?

    https://www.facebook.com/UniqueLulubne

    https://www.etsy.com/shop/UniqueLulu

    Instagram: @uniquelulu_homewares

How long have you been a member of brisstyle?

I’m very new, I became a member at the beginning of August 2015.

How did you find out about brisstyle?

I went to one of the BrisStyle Indie Markets in May, saw all the information about Brisstyle and started looking more into it.

Why did you become a member?

Apart from all the benefits they give you as a member to make your handmade business grow, I love what Brisstyle do as a community to support craftisans. It’s not just about having a lot of members, but what I feel is that Brisstyle is creating a family where everyone supports each other and brings the best out of each member.

Why do you craft? It allows me to be me; I enjoy crafting, experimenting and creating. I also find crafting as a very useful tool to work on my mind and thought.

Thank you so much Diana, for sharing your creative story with us, we look forward to watching your business grow over the coming months! Stay tuned for next Monday as we introduce you to another Monday Maker. 

Anita x

Let’s Get Together and #makeforgood

We are so excited to announce #makeforgood, a project powered by Australian sellers (you!) and in partnership with Plan International to change the world for girls. Jennie Smith, Etsy Australia’s Seller Development Manager, explains how you can get involved.

 

Etsy is filled with creative entrepreneurs who pursue their passions, work for themselves and define success of their own terms.

 

Individually their businesses may be small, but together they offer the promise of a more values-led, people-centred approach to life, business and the broader economy.

 

Did you know that over 90% of Australian Etsy sellers are female? And that many are young women, or women at home with children? Many sellers have never sold their goods online until they open their first Etsy shop.

 

By making it easy to buy and sell goods, Etsy makes entrepreneurship lower-risk and accessible for these populations.

 

But it’s not as easy for all women around the world to start their own business. In many developing countries, women are unlikely to secure a bank loan. Girls are unlikely to be given the same access to education as their male counterparts, and they’re often subject to gender based violence, child marriage, and are more likely to suffer from poor health and nutrition.

 

Plan International’s Because I Am A Girl campaign is aiming to break down these barriers and change the world for girls. They believe that if they can help break down the barriers that prevent millions of girls around the world from gaining the education and skills they need to move from poverty to opportunity, that girls really will be able to transform the world for the better.

 

Etsy’s community of Australian sellers care about girls’ rights and have decided to get together to support Plan’s Because I Am A Girl campaign in their work to change the world for girls.

 

All Australian Etsy sellers are invited to join the #makeforgood campaign to help provide a silver lining for girls living in poverty.

Baby Jives Co

 

What’s involved?

We are inviting sellers to create a product inspired by the theme ‘silver linings for girls’.

Think splashes of silver, clouds, hearts and anything else that represents your own reflection of this theme. You can develop an entirely new product or you can make tweaks to an existing product to reflect the theme.

 

Those who wish to participate will pledge to donate a minimum of 20% of the sale price of their #makeforgood product/s to Plan’s Because I Am A Girl campaign.

 

What kind of a difference can we make?

We have the opportunity to make a real difference. Our initial pledge is to raise AU$20,000 to change the lives of 150 young women through grants to start their own microenterprises. As more sellers come on board we’ll have a better idea of what we can achieve as a community, which will be shared before the October 11 launch date.

 

Here’s the story of Nipa, one young woman whose life was transformed when she received a business grant from Plan International.

How will Etsy support this initiative?

Etsy will be donating commission on #makeforgood products to the Because I Am A Girl campaign (up to a value of $300,000 gross sales).

 

We will also be launching a marketing and PR campaign in order to drive traffic and sales to your #makeforgood products.

 

During this year’s Christmas marketing campaign, Etsy will encourage shoppers to consider gifts with meaning and highlight #makeforgood products alongside our usual gifting suggestions.

Plan International will also be promoting the collection to their loyal followers.

 

There’s also a very special opportunity for one fundraiser who makes a big impact.

Plan is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity for one fundraiser and a friend to travel to Cambodia to see first hand the work Plan are doing to help lift girls out of poverty. You will have the chance to visit a remote community and participate in a Skills Exchange Program with the local women.

We will provide more information and selection criteria as we draw closer to the launch of the campaign.

 

What’s Next?

1. If you’re not already an Etsy seller, you can open a shop at any time in order to participate. Head to www.etsy.com/promotions and enter the code MAKEFORGOOD to have the listing fees waived on your first 20 items
2. Register your interest now! Fill out this form so we can keep you up to date with the campaign’s progress via email
3. Start designing/making your #makeforgood product/s. Remember to reflect the theme ‘Silver Linings for Girls’
4. Plan to have your products ready for sale by early October. We are launching the collection on October 11, International Day of The Girl and will be promoting it until December 24, so if you can, make sure you have enough stock to last through the entire period
5. Join an Etsy Team like BrisStyle. Team Captains will be your primary contact and source of information throughout this campaign. #makeforgood is very much a community driven initiative and teams will help to share information, answer questions and encourage participants along the way. You can join a location or interest based team. Join more than one if you like!

The following teams will be driving this initiative:
BrisStyle
Makers and Designers (MAD) Australia
Stay at Home Mums Australia & New Zealand
Australian Wandarrah
Dust
Etsy Adelaide
Western Australia Street Team
Sydney Made
Melbourne Etsy Street Team
Etsy Goldies

Cleanse with Benefits

Let’s get together and #makeforgood!
Ready to get started? Register your interest, join a team and start creating! Keep us updated as you develop your products via social media using the hashtag #makeforgood and tagging @etsyau and @plan_Australia and #BrisStyle (if you are a BrisStyle member we'd love to support you along the way)

Post edited from original post on Etsy https://blog.etsy.com/au/2015/09/04/lets-get-together-and-makeforgood/

Green Heart Fair - September 13th

What:                   Brisbane City Council’s FREE Green Heart Fair
When:                  8am-2pm, Sunday 13th September 2015
Where:                Carindale Recreation Reserve
Cost:                    Free

It’s back again, and this year it’s bigger and greener than ever! Don’t miss out on Brisbane’s most popular sustainability event and a great FREE day out for the whole family at Brisbane City Council’s Green Heart Fair on Sunday 13th September at Carindale Recreation Reserve, Carindale.

The Fair welcomes over 100 of Brisbane's leading sustainability organisations, community groups, artisans, foodies, green-thumbs, conservationists, businesses and eco experts to share information and knowledge with Brisbane residents on how to live more sustainably. Fair goers are treated to heaps of fun activities and entertainment throughout the day with a jam-packed schedule.

For the first time in Fair history, the Brisbane Billycart Championships will be held at the Green Heart Fair. Car enthusiasts of all ages are invited to make and race their own billycart at the Fair to win a share of the prize pool. Register now!

BrisStyle stall holders will have a fantastic array of stalls located for your shopping pleasure. Participating BrisStyle Stall Holders.



Follow the Fair on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news and updates.

BrisStyle goes to Melbourne!

Just over a month ago, BrisStyle Staffers Bel and Kelly-Anne were lucky enough to head down to Melbourne for the inaugural Etsy AU Team Captains Summit!

We were so lucky to spend our time meeting 20 other team captains from all over Australia, chat, network and brain storm ideas on how to better support our local Etsy communities. There were representatives from EtsyAdelaide, Sydney Etsy Team, Stay at Home Mums AU & NZ, Canetsy, WA Street Team, Etsy Resolution, DUST, Makers and Designers (MAD), BrisStyle, Wandarrah, Australian Press & PR, Australian Events, and UK’s Brighton Sellers Team.

We got to hear from the amazing Karli (Dinosauryeah) who with her fantastic team of Volunteers, runs the Brighton Etsy Team in the UK. Karli was recently honoured with the ‘Team Captain of 2015 Award’, and was super happy to share her tips for running the Brighton Etsy team, which is basically a huge collective who get's involved with pretty much everything! From markets to talks, meet ups to pop ups! so there was lots of things we learned from hearing Karli speak.

We got to listen to the other Australian teams experiences and it was great to chat about last years Pop Ups shops so that we could learn from each others experiences this time round for Etsy Made Local (more details coming soon) - Save the date of November 28th!

Another initiative Etsy are launching later this year is the 'Because I am a Girl Campaign'. This initiative involves Etsy sellers making items to a and donating a percentage of  the proceeds of any sales of these items to Plan https://www.plan.org.au/. The project is aimed at lifting girls and women in developing countries out of poverty, allowing them to in turn to help their family and their wider community. Stay tuned to find out how you can participate and make a difference with #makeforgood.

There was lots of brainstorming, group discussions, workshops and fun!  Everyone openly shared their Team’s experiences, challenges, and achievements. We had such a great time, learnt so much, meet some amazing inspiring people (who's teams we can't wait to see grow and prosper!)

For more behind the scenes pics check out #EtsySummitAU on Instagram and Twitter

 

Some other great posts from the weekend to check out:
ETSY AU Blog
Brighton Etsy Team Blog
WA Etsy Team

:: Giveaway :: OWNING IT by. Sharon Givoni

OWNING IT by. Sharon Givoni

 

A Creative’s Guide to Copyright, Contract and the Law...

 

In these days of high volume information and mass social media, the things that we create are being seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people everyday.  Few artisans, writers and musicians think about what will happen once they put an idea out into the ether.  

The ramifications of sharing our creativity are sadly not always positive, as is outlined by Sharon Givoni in her new book "Owning It - A Creative’s Guide to Copyright, Contract and the Law" published by Creative Minds Publishing.

This beautiful book, with a foreword by Beci Orpin, delves into the somewhat confusing and murky business of what happens when the work of creatives is misappropriated, used in part without permission and outright stolen...and more importantly, how to protect yourself from the get go.

 

We can all imagine how devastating it would be to go into a big retailer and see our designs replicated, usually badly, for sale - this book gives case studies of how this has happened to Australian designers, such as Polli and My Bearded Pidgeon, and what, if indeed anything, can be done in these circumstances.  The book covers the protection of your designs, trade marks, copyright, reputation, confidential information and other intellectual property (IP); how not to inadvertently infringe someone else’s rights; contract basics; licensing; how the law applies online and to certain aspects of social media; and much more.

It is an absolute essential for every Australian creative artist and business. A clear, concise guide to navigate Australian legislation and Law. I love how clearly  this book is set out. The language is easy to understand and has examples relevant to creative businesses.  I really enjoyed the business structure and money matters sections of this book. General legal advise is there,  to help you navigate your creative business with piece of mind, giving  you confidence in where you stand and what your rights are as an Australian artist.

 

We hope you enjoyed this review from our committee member, Pattie Murray - Ceramic Artist.

 

We are very lucky to have a copy of this beautiful book to giveaway to one lucky winner (Australian residents only). To enter, please leave a comment below (make sure you leave a contact email address if your profile is private). Draw closes Thursday 13th August @ 1pm.

 

Meet the maker - Linda Fountain

Its time to kick off our first maker interview for 2015. So grab a cuppa and a biccy and settle down to read all about feisty jeweller Linda Fountain of Wildcat Creations.

Were you creative as a child/do you come from a creative family?
Yes, my mother was a seamstress and my father a carpenter. Being from a large and relatively poor family we had to be creative.

How would you describe your work?
This is a difficult one to answer. My pieces have been described anything from stylish to downright bizarre.

How has your work evolved since you started?
Looking back on some of my early work, I now see some pieces clumsy and uninteresting. These days I sketch my ideas and work out the details before I commence. Although I do love to sit down and just let inspiration come to me. I seem to have developed my “style” also. I’m much more critical of my work these days.

How did you start selling online?
I do have an Etsy store, but have yet to make a sale. It will happen!

Who or what inspires you?
Nature inspires me. I have a love of the ocean. Pearls often feature in my work, as does cuttle bone casting.

Do you reduce, reuse, recycle as part of your creative process?
Yes! The silver I use is recycled. I also cast with my scrap. I re‐use whatever I can. I have an old copper hot water tank which I upcycle. I also use old china plates. Blue willow and silver look stunning together.

Describe your studio/workspace?
Spacious, neat and tidy or chaotic depending on what I’m working on.

What is your favourite thing to make? 
Anything cast in cuttle bone. The results are always a surprise.

How did your business/shop name come about?
Wildcat was the nickname given to me by co‐workers years ago. Seems I had a bit of a temper. I’ve mellowed but the name stuck.

Where do you see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?
I hope to keep learning and improving my skills.

What’s your top tip to others wanting to break into the handmade/creative market?
Just take that first step. If you love doing what you do and believe in yourself, take that first step

Describe your typical creative day?
Time has no meaning. If I let myself get totally immersed in whatever I’m working on, the outside world disappears.
Most days, I have a plan of what I need to create and stick to it, other times, it’s all experimental.

Favourite quote?
Don’t regret growing older, it’s a privilege denied to many.

Music or movie while creating?
Neither, usually the sound of the birds outside, the wind, or just the quiet of the bush. (I live out in the sticks)

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?
A wooden jewellery box. It’s a simple design, made from beautiful wood.

Where can we find you online? 
Etsy - wild cat creations
www - wild cat creations