New FREE Mini Creative Development Sessions - BOOK NOW!

BrisStyle Inc. is once again partnering with Brisbane Library Services to bring you a series of Mini Creative Development Sessions  as part of the Libraries Stitchers Library Digital Literacy Project. These sessions are snapshots of our council supported I ♥ Craft  Creative Development Sessions and are aimed at crafters wanting to explore the viability of taking their hobby to the next level.

To Book:

• Call the central council booking line on 3403 8888
• Choose between the dates and locations above
• Ask to be put through to the relevant Library to book into your preferred session. Please be patient with the Library staff who will book you in.

WHAT How to teach your Art and Craft
WHEN Friday May 3rd
TIME 6pm - 8pm
WHERE Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street Brisbane City
COST FREE
PRESENTED BY:  Trish Goodfield

WHAT Thinking about selling on Etsy?
WHEN Friday May 10th
TIME 6pm - 8pm
WHERE Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street Brisbane City
COST FREE
PRESENTED BY:  Sam Gilkes

WHAT Using social media to market your craft business
WHEN Friday May 24th
TIME 6pm - 8pm
WHERE Brisbane Square Library, 266 George Street Brisbane City
COST FREE
PRESENTED BY: Jess Van Den 

PLACES ARE LIMITED SO BOOK NOW!

Proudly Presented by BrisStyle Inc. and supported by Brisbane Library Services

Book yourself in for two very Social Master Classes!

Everybody's talking about the new BrisStyle Master Classes!

Read on and book your place for creative business success with Jess Van Den.

 SOCIAL MEDIA - Intensive :: Promoting your online business

2nd May 2013 - 6.30pm - 10.30pm

This four-hour intensive session will focus solely on Social Media for promoting your small business. Presented by local creative social media expert Jess Van Den from Creative and Thrive, this instructional session will give you hands-on tips you can apply instantly to take your networking to the next level:

• Learn how to effectively and efficiently use social media as tools to build trust and relationships with your customers. 

• Jess will also share the tools she uses to streamline her social media use, as well as an integrated plan that shows you how to use instagram/twitter/facebook/pinterest and your blog to build your customer base

If you've been floundering on social media, not quite sure how to harness it to steadily grow your business, this session will help you get focussed and make social media work for you.

BUILDING A WEBSITE AND BLOG :: Hints tips & Getting Started

30th May 2013 - 6.30pm - 10.30pm

This four hour intensive session will focus solely on building a website or blog for your small business. Let creative Social Media expert Jess Van Den from Creative and Thrive, take you through the basic steps of setting up both options and apply them instantly on your own laptops or iPads etc. This is a hands-on session not to be missed! 

The Master Class sessions are designed so that you can attend them all to gain a thorough perspective of the big picture or pick and choose sessions that are appropriate to your own creative journey. You're encouraged to bring along your iPads / Laptops and any other equipment needed to give you instant hands-on results.

Places are limited  - BOOK NOW!

for all remaining sessions held at Chermside Library.

BrisStyle Inc. Saving the Lost Arts and nurturing new ones in 2013

Tomorrow from 5pm :: Saving the Lost Arts at Twilight

It's only 1 more sleep til' we kick off Brisbane's biggest celebration of craft - The 2013 Saviours of the Lost Arts Festival. Grab your crafty family and friends and head along to where all the crafty action begins...The BrisStyle indie Twilight Market - This Friday night April 26 from 5pm-9m! Read on for all the details..... A Celebration of Handmade With over 100 BrisStyle indie Marketeers, King George Square and Deck above the Groove Train is set to come to life from 5pm in a celebration of handmade craft. Meet the makers and learn how they create their amazing locally made work. For all your favourite Marketeers and a host of new and emerging BrisStyle indie Craftisans, check out map here for more details.... A Celebration of Craft The Deck area above the Groove Train restaurant is set to become “Guild Central”, where over 30 stalls of local crafting groups, guilds and BrisStyle Co-op stallholders will be showcased alongside make and take workshops and demonstrations as part of the Saviours of the Lost Arts Festival. Join in the conversation about the Vanishing Arts you'd love to see saved, learn about sustainable craft from Reverse Garbage and join in a Mother’s Day inspired workshop for all the family + much, much, more.. Check out the deck site map here to see how you can get down and crafty to help Save our Lost Arts. There's parking a plenty in the City and with Roma St and Central stations a stroll up the street and the King George Square bus station below ..getting in to the city couldn't be easier! We're very much looking forward to celebrating with you and your families so mark these key times in your diaries and we'll see you from 5pm in King George Square and the Deck tomorrow: 5pm - 9pm BrisStyle indie Twilight Markets and FREE workshops and Co-op on the Deck. 7:00pm The official launch of Saviours of the Lost Arts 7.30pm-8.30pm Jazzy Chats live in the square 2013 Saviours of the Lost Arts is a joint initiative of BrisStyle Inc. and the Brisbane city Council

What's HOT & NEW!

Hello,

We are very excited to hear about our very talented member and Artist Dawn Conn from Ruby & Iris  ready to launch this amazing Art exhibition at the Percolator Gallery in Paddington Tuesday April 30th.

A little bit more about this upcoming Art event...

 Brisbane Mothers and artists; Fiona Chivers and Dawn Conn (Ruby & Iris) are having an exhibition at Paddington’s Percolator Gallery, just in time for Mother’s Day, running for one week from Tuesday 30 April. 

Their love of art brought them together to present this exhibition and raise money to support ACT for Kids’ Intensive Art Therapy Program. ACT for Kids therapists often use art therapy with children who have experienced trauma from abuse and neglect. It can help children communicate without verbalising their experiences, which could be traumatic or they don’t have the words for.

The exhibition, called “Elements”, relates to the diverse nature of Fiona’s landscape paintings and the elements of storytelling that Dawn’s sculptures express.

 We are also introducing you to the new range of colourful polymer jewellery from Hacklock.

It is called the "Basics batch"

Full of colour texture and great shapes!

Image Source 

Image source Hacklock on Etsy

Have a beautiful day!

Sandrine ❤

Meet the Maker - Chrissy Foreman C - Art to Inspire

Hey there friends.  I've got a real treat in store for you today.  Our Meet the Maker interview today is with the very inspiring Chrissy Foreman C.  Her artwork is like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day and as one of the stars of the 2013 Saviours of the Lost Arts, her workshops filled up within a matter of days!

How would you describe your work?

Colourful, heartfelt, vibrant, giving, inspiring and completely amaze balls!!  (ha, ha, not really, actually yeah, kinda really.)

How did your Etsy shop come into being?

I opened my Etsy shop a couple of years ago and never looked back.  It's a constant source of inspiration and connections with amazing artists from all over the world.  In saying that, I've just launched my very own website shop which I'm super excited about!  Both shops came into being because I love what I'm doing so much, I want to inspire that feeling for my viewers - it's the best feeling!

Who or what inspires you?

Uncovering my secret dreams and realising that I can do them is inspiring me no end at the moment.  I'm letting myself dream big and my heart is literally exploding with ideas of things I want to do and share with others as a result!  I'm also crazy about colour, pattern, feelings and nature which feature in various combinations in almost all my works.

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

Admittedly I'm not as green in my everyday life after becoming a Mumma (ugh.  Sooooo many nappies!); but in my art and business, I'm committed to using sustainable and eco-friendly products.  It took me ages to find suppliers that were both green and amazing quality but now I have them, I feel absolutely proud of everything I make!

Can you describe your studio/work area?
I've recently moved into my very own, separate studio space and being in there feels completely amazing!  My hubby lost his job recently so he's now Daddy-daycare while I go to my studio everday to create, paint, write and conjure.

What is your favourite thing to make?
At the moment, I love the process of rebranding everything in my website to share who I am as a person and what I stand for in my work.  So I guess you could say I'm into making my business successful and completely accessible in a cool, connective and creative way.

I'm now running DELICIOUS new 'Creating with Feeling' courses and feel completely and utterly blessed to be able to share my experiences and skills in ways that enable participants to feel safe to explore their creativity and feelings.  (You can check out more about Chrissy's workshops and retreats here.)

Where do you hope to see your creative journey taking you in the next 12 months?
I definitely want to make some really meaningful, heartfelt connections with people this year through my work.  I'm writing new e-books and workshops to inspire people's innate creativity and trust in their processes.  I've also recently uploaded a short movie of my intuitive painting and will be working on more of these.

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?
Oh my, what kind of question is this!  How does one choose?!  I think at the moment I'm pretty obsessed with Tess' amazing custom fabric necklaces under her Monkey & Mum label.  I already have three with more on the way!  Tess and I are collaborating on some jewellery projects using my designer fabrics which is bloody awesome!

Where can we find your work?
I'm building a special relationship with people who really 'get me' and want to stay inspired.  You can subscribe to my weekly 'Art to Inspire' email via the subscribe tab on my website.  It's jam-packed full of tips, art, freebies and discounts.

Website
Web Shop

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest
Etsy

Thanks so much for sharing with us Chrissy, it's always a delight to step into your creative world!  If you love Chrissy's work as much as we do, why not come along this Friday night and meet her in person!  Chrissy will be up on the deck in King George Square at the BrisStyle indie Twilight Market demonstrating her art!  What a treat!!

xSam

What's HOT & NEW!

Hi lovely friends,

Let's take a little sneak peek on some of the latest gorgeous creations...

Rocknwrap beautiful Art jewellery has been sharing the amazing process behind creating her latest design...

Follow me over here and you will totally amazed about what you will learn with the talented Eleanore!

Beautiful Queensland Agate necklace Image courtesy Rocknwrap

I would love to introduce you to our also very talented artist Becky from Portfoliopics.

Becky creates Art to make you happy!

Please take a look at one of her latest beautiful Mother's Day card.

Image source PortfolioPics

Another beautiful colourful Art card by the also very talented Denthe...

Another beautiful choice for your mother special day?!

Image Source

Have a great day!

Sandrine ❤

SoTLA 2013 :: Hands on Workshops :: Hosted by Brisbane Brown Owls

Brisbane Brown Owls meet once or twice a month in various locations throughout Brisbane. At each meet up we either learn a new craft or you can bring along your own craft to do. It's all about sharing crafty knowledge and skills, meeting like-minded people and having a cuppa. Joining Brisbane Brown Owls is easy, just sign up for the email list HERE

WORKSHOP COSTS          FREE

BOOKINGS                      Essential through brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places limited)

	CROCHET GRANNY SQUARES AND CROCHETING IN THE ROUND Learn the basics of granny squares to create fabulous homewares or wearables or whip up crochet baskets and owls in no time once you have perfected the art of crocheting in the round.  WHEN                 Sunday 21 April / 10.30am -12.30pm WHERE               Brisbane Square Library COST                  FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	CROCHET BASICS The perfect opportunity for those who previously missed out on crochet basics or who would like to brush up on their hooking skills! WHEN                Friday 26 April 10:30am-12:30pm WHERE               Ministry of Handmade, 11 Eclipse Street, Bridgeman Downs COST                  FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	RAG RUGS Upcycle your old fabric scraps, sheets or t-shirts into an oval or circle rug using a quick and simple knotting technique. You won't believe how easy it is!  WHEN                 Saturday 27th April / 10.30am -12.30pm WHERE               Carindale Library COSTS                FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	Mother's Day Card and Gift Box Set with Shirley McAvoy fromStamping Elephants Learn from the super talented Shirley McAvoy of Stamping Elephants to create a beautiful card and gift box set just in time for Mother's Day! Stamp, assemble and finish a handmade Mother's Day Card and put together and decorate a matching gift box that can be used to fill with chocolates or little handmade gifts. WHEN                 Tuesday 30 April, 10:30am-12:30pm WHERE               Caboolture Library at The Hub, 4 Hasking Street, Caboolture COSTS                $5 for materials Bookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	RUBBER STAMP MAKING Custom make your own series of stamps using basic erasers. Bring along your own designs and transform them into sweet stamps in a matter of minutes. WHEN           Wednesday 8th May / 6pm - 8pm WHERE         The Grange Library COSTS          FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	RECYCLED T-SHIRT CRAFT Bring along your old t-shirts and transform them into new wearable items, homewares or t-shirt yarn. We'll show you all the tips and tricks and discuss great ways to use every part of the t-shirt in new and functional ways.  WHEN           Thurs 16th May / 6pm - 8pm WHERE         Indooroopilly Library COSTS          FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited
	FABRIC BROOCHES Hand-stitch brooches from your old fabric scraps. Rebecca from edward & lilly reveals the 17th century button making technique she uses to make her embroidered brooches - because age-old crafts really do die hard!  WHEN           Sunday 19th May / 10.30am -12.30pm WHERE         Brisbane Square Library COSTS          FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	CROCHET EDGES ON CARDBOARD AND FABRIC Finish off your face cloths, tea towels and blankets or create memorable gift tags and postcards with beautiful crochet edges.  WHEN           Saturday 25 May / 10.30am -12.30pm WHERE         Ashgrove Library COSTS          FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	LINO PRINTING WHEN          Sunday 26 May, 10:30am-12:30pm WHERE         Imogen's Art Space, 9 Morgan Terrace, Bardon COSTS          TBC Bookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	KNITTING FOR CHARITY Find crafty ways of giving back to your local community through knitted craft. Learn basic knitting and crochet skills. WHEN          Sunday June 9  / 10.30am -12.30pm WHERE         Indooroopilly Library COSTS          FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	BASKET WEAVING Weave a lovely basket for your home with upcycled sheets, t-shirt yarn or fabric scraps.  WHEN          Sunday 16 June / 10.30am -12.30pm WHERE        Brisbane Square Library COSTS         FREEBookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)
	SCREEN PRINTING WHEN          Sunday 23 June, 10:30am-12:30pm WHERE         Imogen's Art Space, 9 Morgan Terrace, Bardon COSTS          TBC Bookings are essential.  Contact brisbanebrownowls@gmail.com (Places are limited)

Presented by Brisbane Brown Owls and proudly supported by BrisStyle Inc. and the  Brisbane City Council

Meet the Maker - BJohansen Creative

Hi there friends and welcome to another instalment in our 'Meet the Maker' series.  This week we're lucky enough to catch up with one of BrisStyle's newest members, Barry Johansen from BJohansen Creative.

How would you describe your work?

It's digital, I draw/paint on my iPad.

How did your Etsy shop come into being?

I am exploring Etsy, I am not sure if it is the right fit for me at the moment as I've only just started to explore how to connect with a great art/craft audience via Etsy.  It has generated a greater awareness of my work and I hope this continues as I bring more products online.

Who or what inspires you?

Henri Matisse.  If you were to look at my school art projects he's always been there.  Simplicity, colour and no complex interpretation.  Just seeing the world simply.

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

I work digitally and the big challenge is that I can have my art on literally anything!  I source recycled for for printing or sustainable forest or archival quality for prints.  It's not about throw away, it's about reuse and longevity.  I am hearing more and more that people are framing my postcards and that is just great to hear.

Can you describe your studio/work area?

My studio is an iPad and recently a laptop.  I create wherever I go.  I kinda feel guilty about that though, I'm not stuck in one spot to create.

What is your favourite thing to make?

I studied fashion!  Oh to get back to work and make and create with fabrics.  That being said I have so enjoyed reconnecting with the creative world via photography and drawing!

How did you decide on your business name?

Um, it's all about me, can't you tell?

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

I would really love to see it take off here in Australia!  I've tested online and rest of the world has been responsive!  I want to get back to local now.

What is your favourite handmade item that you have bought?

I have a lot of hand made items, to say there is a favourite is hard.  My purchases of arts and crafts are based on the places I hava visted, a local connection in some way, I like to explore.  I've paintings from galleries, hand woven baskets and pottery that all have their own story to tell.  If I had to narrow it down it's between two pieces.  A natural fibre basket created by Joan Hogben (Adelaide) and a duck bowl made by Bernice West who I had the pleasure of talking to in the Alcove Art Shop in Box Hill, Melbourne.

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

It's embarrassing.  I have a website but it's really needing an overhaul.  I am a Facebooker, my fan page is where everything is usually happening.  So in the digital world, I can be found at:

website:    barryjohansen.com

facebook:  facebook.com/barryjohansencreative

instagram: Barryj72

Thanks for sharing with us Barry, it was great getting a behind the scenes tour of your creative process!

xSam

INVITATION :: Social Media - I ♥ Craft :: Creative Development and Master Class Sessions

:: Saving the Lost Arts through Social Media :: The 2013 Saviours of the Lost Arts Festival is well and truly here and no better way of preserving our vanishing crafts but to spread the love via way of Social Media. We are ever so lucky to have the fabulous Jess Van Den from Create and Thrive fame on hand to present three amazing sessions. If you've just started to explore Social Media and want to learn the basic tips to get noticed, then the May 18 :: I ♥ Craft :: Creative Development Session is for you. If you are ready to take the next step and set up several interconnecting Social Media platforms including a blog or website, then the May 2 and 30 :: I ♥ Craft :: Master Class Sessions are a must. So don't miss the opportunity to get all the latest Social Media news from Jess and help to Save your Lost Art in the process. Image courtesy of Jess Van Den :: SOCIAL MEDIA UNEARTHED - The latest tips from Jess Van Den :: Social media trends change by the minute. Let local entrepreneur Jess Van Den give you all the breaking news and basic tips on blogging, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to help you get the word out about your small creative business. DATE Saturday 18 May 2013 TIME 10 – 12.30 pm VENUE Kenmore Library Kenmore Village, 9 Brookfield Road, Kenmore 4069 COST FREE BOOK NOW ::The next step in your Creative Development :: :: SOCIAL MEDIA INTENSIVE - Promoting Your Online Business :: Let Jess take you through a more in-depth, hands on look at how Social Media can promote your creative business. This four hour intensive session will: Explore the different Social Media platforms in more detail. Show you easy and effective ways of promoting your business through each platform. Allow you to apply what you are learning instantly, by way of your own laptops etc. Give you time to get up close and personal with Jess to ask targeted questions about your own creative practice. DATE Thursday 2 May, 2013 TIME 6.30pm-10.30pm VENUE Chermside Library Chermside Library, 375 Hamilton Rd, Chermside 4032 COST $80 SPEAKER Jess Van Den from Create & Thrive BOOK NOW :: BUILDING A WEBSITE AND BLOG - Getting Started :: This four hour intensive session will focus solely on building a website or blog for your small business. Let creative Social Media expert Jess Van Den from Creative and Thrive take you through: The basic steps of setting up a blog. The basic steps of setting up a website. How to apply them instantly on your own laptops or iPads etc. This is a hands-on Social Media session not to be missed! DATE Thursday 30 May, 2013 TIME 6.30pm-10.30pm VENUE Chermside Library Chermside Library, 375 Hamilton Rd, Chermside 4032 COST $80 SPEAKER Jess Van Den from Create & Thrive BOOK NOW Presented by BrisStyle Inc and supported by the Brisbane City Council Keep up with all the 2013 Saviours of the Lost Arts & BrisStyle action, via the: BrisStyle Blog Facebook Page Instagram @brisstyle Twitter ::BrisStyle Membership:: Are you passionate about handmade? Would you like to meet like-minded creative people? Do you want to take your craft to the next level? Are you keen to take part in markets and events? BrisStyle Inc. provides support and creative opportunities for independent artists, crafters and designers who call Queensland and Northern New South Wales home. The 2013 BrisStyle membership experience includes: creative business development sessions;  markets, events and exhibitions; promotional opportunities;  personal website profile;  social networking;  access to our online forum;  Etsy team affiliation; and much, much more!! For less than a ball of yarn per week, you too can be a member of BrisStyle’s fabulous and fun crafty community. STOP PRESS! Join now and take advantage of our half-year, HALF-PRICEmembership special! From now until June, membership is just $40 for individuals and $50 for partnerships. Tell me more....