final week

My Craft Victoria enCOUNTER window display is in it's final week. The display will be coming down this weekend so if you haven't yet had the opportunity to check it out your time is almost up.

I'd like to use this post to say thank you to everyone who has stopped by to check-out the window in person and those who have posted about this on your own blog, sent me lovely messages and words of support. The response has been incredible and so much more than I could have imagined!

I'd also like to say a big thank you to my lovely husband and one of his sweet colleges who made these night time shots possible. I love them and think they show the window in a whole new way compared to when viewed in daylight.

x

set two — in store

As mentioned below a second set of The Travelling Circus brooches are now complete and in the Handmade Romance Etsy store. YAY! It been ages since I've listed anything new in the shop — it's definitely a nice feeling to be able to do so.

Little did I know that when I posted the above picture about a month ago (from our time in Berlin back in November, 2010) I would be connecting a creator to a place they'd been just months before. See the guy in black and white, with the triangles on his top at the bottom, center of the wall? Well, he once looked like this... 

And that is his gorgeous creator Johanna who also likes wearing black and white (hehe) and has kindly let me share her image with you. 

How fantastic that someone living in Zurich who actually happens to be French, spotted an image taken in Berlin which I posted on the internet frpm Melbourne, Australia! Actually I can't believe Johanna found my blog at all, let alone recognised her piece under the new additions but I'm sure glad she did. And I'm even more stoked that she let me know. Just as Johanna was excited to see her work again, some months later, I was excited to hear from a creators of something I'd seen on the fabulously colourful streets of Berlin! 

Plus Johanna's work is heaps of fun too. I especially love this interactive street work in which she has created clothing for two of her monsters and gets people to join in selecting their final outfits!

circus brooches

 

One set of The Travelling Circus themed brooches (mentioned two posts below) are now complete. This set is available at Craft Victoria on Flinders Lane, Melbourne where the window display will continue to be up for the next two weeks. If you haven't already had the chance to see it yet, it's not too late.
 
The Handmade Romance and The Travelling Circus brooch set consist of Ringmaster, Strongman, Psychic, Clown, Bearded Sheila, Tiger, Monkey, Elephant, Bear and Lion.

A second set will be coming to my Etsy store.... soon.

donate life

Today marks the beginning of Donate Life week. It is a week to remind people to register and discuss with loved ones what your wishes are for your organs and tissue when you die.

Sometimes simply registering isn't enough. Did you know that a family member can override your decision to donate? That is why it is important to let them know your wishes and to ask them to give their consent should such a situation arise. A subject like this is never easy but it is important.

If you have been a follower of my blog for a little while you may remember that just over 10 months ago my dad donated one of his kidneys to my older brother. My older brother will most likely need more than one transplant in his lifetime, at what point is unknown. And whether another family member will be an acceptable donor at the time is also unknown. Having a family members life depend on the organ donation of another makes this week an extra important week for me.

Both my dad and brother are doing extremely well. To see the change in my brothers health and quality of life since no longer requiring dialysis on a daily basis has been incredible to say the least.

There are many interesting facts on this topic over on the Donate Life website. Registering is easy and can be done online here or at any Medicare office in Australia.

the show goes on

Some work-in-progress limited edition brooches I am doing that are circus themed to go with the current Craft Victoria window display. I am doing one set to be sold at Craft Victoria and another to be sold through my Etsy store. Now I just need to finish them!

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SUPAKITCH & KORALIE - VÄRLDSKULTUR MUSEET GÖTEBORG from elr°y on Vimeo

I spotted this over on Creature Comforts and thought you might like it too if you haven't already seen it. 

I'm always a sucker for works in progress especially when shown on time lapse. This one is a great mix of two styles coming together nicely to form one wall mural.

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image from here

Given the carnival theme going on over here at the moment I thought this wonderfully colourful image of Fashion Designer, Carmen D’Apollonio, one half of Ikou Tschüss was quite fitting.

Together, Guya Marini and Carmen D'Apollonio design garments that are hand knitted — an important part of their asthetic — by actual grandmothers to retain "the old craftswomanly approach to handwork, skills that Guya and Carmen feel are disappearing today".

Found via Citizen Couture.

studio visit + interview

If you have been reading my blog over the past week you will know that I currently have a fun display up in the Craft Victoria window on Flinders Lane for the month of February. The window features a troupe of 10 hand made circus characters which you can see in more detail below.

I have also been lucky enough to be invited to do a studio visit and interview over on the Craft Victoria blog, which has gone up today. So if you would like to find out a bit more about me jump on over and take a peek!

in store now

Also in store at Craft Victoria are three new Bow Tie Boys and several new Bearded Blokes.

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Wow! Thanks so much everyone for your incredible support and words of encouragement regarding the characters below. You can't begin to imagine how much it all means to me. Just knowing there are people who like what I've created, I think, is amazing!

Some of you have asked questions about them, like whether or not they are for sale, if I am making more, where they are available etc. so I thought I'd try and answer those things here.

The 10 characters listed below are all one-of-a-kind creations which I won't be creating again. Each character comes with it's own personal tag (like in the pictures above) which I have signed and numbered, 1 of 1. These characters have been specifically created for Craft Victoria's month of February window exhibition enCOUNTER. All of the characters in the window are for sale through Craft Victoria and will be on display in the window until March 5th. Anything unsold by this date will still be available at Craft Victoria in their retail space below the window display. Be warned this place is the retail wonderland to crafted, handmade treasure.

Craft Victoria has a few other goodies of mine in stock which I will share with you over the coming days.

x

the cast

 Hello I am Ringmaster Vladimir.
When I am not preforming as Ringmaster I enjoy training mice
in the art of acrobatics.
And eating warm blueberry pie. 

 Hello we are Maisie and Daisie. 
We have really different taste in music and movies 
but we both love strawberry flavoured milkshakes
and black cat lollies.

 Hello I am Esmeralda The Psychic.
I love thinking about the future but some days I find myself
dreaming of the past. Like when I was five and
I had a pet lizard named Spider.

 Hello I am Fire Breather Frederico.
When preforming I like to imagine I am in Antarctica.
This helps me stay cool plus I really like polar bears.

 Hello I am Dolores The Bearded Sheila.
To my surprise, one day while caring for my beard
I found the tiniest of blue eggs nesting inside. 
Blue happens to also be my most favourite colour.

 Hello I am Bruce The Monkey.
When I am not preforming I love to bake
banana muffins  for my friends.
I also enjoy catching butterflies.

 Hello I am Kimtortion.
Once I travelled all around the world - for free. 
I hid in a suitcase.

 Hello I am Spencer.
My twin sister, Caitlin is always getting me in trouble. She always starts it!
Even though she can be a pain sometime she is a pretty cool sister.

 

Hello I am Caitlin.
Did you know that I am one minute older than my brother Spencer?
This means I am smarter. Although sometimes he knows things
I don’t. Like, how to skim rocks.

Hello I am Egor The Amazing Strongman.
When I was younger I was the smallest kid in my class but no one believes me.
I love sailing the high seas and eating pickled onions.