The Butterfly Collector

Interview with Lisa from Rolly Poly Kids

The CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW
This month's interview is with Lisa Curley, a creative Mum making fabulous products for kids, she tells us all about being crafty in Queensland, Australia in her own words ... 
1. DESCRIBE yourself, where you work ( studio/room or town) and your Artwork /Craft!
Im a mum with two great kids ,and we live in out back Queensland ,my studio is my dining room , but getting around to setting up downstairs for my studio.
Which is perfect, lots of natural light and tons of space.

2.HOW did you get started ?
When we moved to out back Australia there was not much to do so I started sewing little aprons to sell locally,and then I started making my other things ,like baby bibs etc...
and then I started making the soft toys just this year.

WHAT were your influences ?
My children and other work at home mums who have started their own business from home and a very good friend of mine who told me to start making the gingerbreadmen ,she knew they would be a winner and sell!

3.WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
I love making my little gingerbreadmen ,because they each have a little personality and I love using vintage fabrics, and old buttons and I love being at home for my kids and I love being creative.   
4.WHO or WHAT is Inspiring you right now?
Other mums who make soft toys ,from old vintage fabrics , Alison from Lark, Lily and Agathe
5.A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day? A few of my favorite things ...making pancakes with my kids, reading them bedtime stories everynight ,going to op shops and finding old fabrics and buttons!
Favorite places ...  The Whaihopi Valley in the south Island of New Zealand , I'm from the land of the long white cloud and thats where my mum and sister live!
Its very beautiful and the landscape is out of this world.
My perfect day ... blue skies , a winters day and a day where the kids are getting on well together !
6.If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
This is not exactly travelling through time, I would love to go to the moon ,been a dream of mine since i was  a kid!
7. Have you any great advice for aspiring  artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
I say go for it !
Follow your heart ,never give up your  dreams ,give and you shall recieve and make sure you make time for youself at the end of the day to wind down.
You can visit Lisa at her website ...
www.rollypolykids.com.au
and her Gingerbread Men are also available right now at the follow stores ...
Meet Me at Mikes...106 Bridge Road,Richmond,Melbourne
visit their blog at www.meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com
and
Kids In Berlin ...472 Victoria St, North Melbourne 3051
ph: (03)93295578

This Interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in May 2007.

Interview with the Paper Flower Girl!

MADAME BUTTERFLY'S CREATIVE CABINET
THE CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW

This week's interview is with Jewellery Designer and Artist Isis Sturtewagen, otherwise known as the Paper Flower Girl! We found her through inspiring Blog and fantastic Flickr Photo Album, she tells us in her own words about her creative life ...
1. DESCRIBE yourself, where you work (studio/room or town) and your Artwork /Craft!
I was born on the first day of the year, about 20 years ago. The first five years of my life, my parents and I lived in a flat, in an old house, in Antwerp (Belgium). After that we moved to a little, boring, easy, village, where it seems as if the time is standing still, and you could keep playing in the fields with the all other kids. Now I live and study in Ghent and during the weekends I am in The Netherlands with my boyfriend. I love being in both places, even though, and maybe because, they are so very different to me. I have studied free arts for two years, and after that decided to go to university to study Archaeology.
2. HOW did you get started? WHAT were your influences ?
I have been making things my whole life. From doll's clothes, to birthday presents, to drawings, I have learned a lot of things (including knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidering, drawing) from my mother, who is an artist. When I was eleven years old, my dream was to become a jewelry designer. When going to university, I missed the creating I otherwise did in class so much, I needed to find an alternative. I started making jewelry and accessories on a more regular basis. That is how Paper Flower Girl was born. 3. WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
That through my creations I can tell stories. That to each person a pair of earrings made by me will tell another story. Making jewelry is a very thankful art-form to me. I can fuse my love for poetry and proze, with my love for colour and textures, forms and designs all together.
4. WHO or WHAT is Inspiring you right now?
I am always being inspired by historical jewelry and costume, especially of the medieval period, early to late 19th century, and art nouveau. Apart from that nature is an ever important source of inspiration: colour, fauna, flora, forms, textures, details ...
5. A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
I have two kinds of favourite days. The first type is the lazy pyjamas day, staying in my warm cozy bed as long as possible, getting up late, eating yoghurt with fresh fruits and hazelnuts and drinking a cup of tea with honey for breakfast. Take a long shower, take the time to make myself up and pick a new pretty clothing combination. Go into town to visit some of my favourite shops, cook dinner together with my boy, and watch a good movie in the evening. The second type of day, which I love equally, is a really productive arty day, with lots of inspiration and being able to finish some projects.
6. If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
Difficult. I'd definetly not go to the future.  I'm too much of a history person. If I really had to make one choice ... Probably I'd go back to the late 14th century, but then, I really LOVE late 15th century too ... 7. Have you any great advice for aspiring artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
Try to find a balance between not wanting too much at the same time and keep dreaming of all the things you want.
You can visit ISIS at her Blog and shop at ...
www.paper-flower-girl.blogspot.com
or her shop www.paperflowergirl.etsy.com
This interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in February 2007!
All Images are copyright of the artisit!

Interview with Gypsy Purple

THE CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW
This week's interview is with mixed media Artist Chamara Pansegrouw, otherwise known as the fabulous Gypsy Purple!
We found her through her bohemian and wonderful Blog and wildly creative Flickr Photo Album, she tells us in her own words about her creative life ...
1.DESCRIBE yourself, where you work ( studio/room or town) and your Artwork /Craft!
Myself: I have always been described as a very positive and motivated person that have been blessed with a creative outlook and a mindset that always convinces me I can do anything I put my mind to.
Thanks to my  bohemian spirit, I had to train and teach myself to focus, plan and set goals (that definitely did not come with the package) ...and how glad I am of that, for today, one of my strongest points is that I can manage many projects at once...... but ever so often, my gypsy side take over and I throw caution to the wind ......to take time out. I love those times...for it is in these chaotic moments that my creative spirit gets fueled and I get my inspiration
Where do you work: This is currently my biggest challenge...as I work all over the place. Good news is that we are busy creating a workroom for me that will be "workable" in February. I can`t wait to get myself and all my goodies organized in there!!
Your art/craft: I`ve been in love with paper almost all my life...I love it ....... can`t resist it...got to have it all. Because of my obsession with paper, most of my works are paper related...mixed media, collages, altered books, decoupage, scrapbooking...
I only became Photoshop "literate" in 2006, so...I`m still playing a lot with digital collages and digital scrapbooking...learning every week...still teething.
My work is mostly sentimental...made for someone specific as a memory or a keepsake and therefore I always put a lot of emotion into it...but always tongue in the cheek as well..got to have a  bit of humour in this life!!
It was only recently that I explored fantasy and french vintage styles ...mixing them and try to find my own style here.....I saw some french vintage posters  with a little bit of whimsy that just spoke to me.......this is my current inspiration in paper as well as digital. 
2.HOW did you get started ?, WHAT were your influences ?
With crafting, I started very young. I was always making things and selling them at school, making paper collages, my own cards, scrapbooks (very primitive one`s if I look at them today), as I teacher, I always made things for my class and for projects, but I think the need for extra money as a young married wife, forced me to become even more creative and I seriously started "producing".....dolls on callabashes, decoupage.....and sold that in shops and at flea markets
Influences: I honestly think my mother is the most talented and creative person in the whole wide world...she can do anything...from building a house to the finest needlepoint...and she truly did it all. She introduced me to beauty and showed me how to get inspired by any visual thing around you....how to make it your own...and I thank her.
To top that......
there is not a single person in our whole big family that is NOT creative, so inspiration came from all sides and we still influence and motivate one another...what a blessing.
3.WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
I am a true "memory keeper"and love it to preserve things and make memories for other people who I know will appreciate and treasure it and their reaction and love for it, is always an inspiration to me to give more and do more
I also love the fact that for me in a corporate world running in the rat race ...this brings balance, beauty and that little bit of magic that is needed to pull you through.
4.A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
I love all things french ( a true franchofile)...
I`m obsessive about paper ( all sorts and sizes) ...
I`m mad about colour ...I should have become a decorator, for it is my true profession (obsession)...
I am a "serial browser"...I get a lot of inspiration from browsing, being lovely, bohemian, utterly crazy --it doesn`t matter........mad about flea markets.......love to travel and see the world.........outings with "the girls" (can`t live without it!!!!)...crave books and reading
...going through keepsakes and memories........ precious quiet time spent with my hubby (ingredients will be: music, drinks and a fire).........having my family around me on Sundays (got it from my grandfather.....)
5.If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
I would definitely without a doubt land in France.....17th century and visit Madame de "Anything" and her friends, get some tips from the royal courtesans and then go and have a good time with the french gypsy`s on the outskirts of the chateau`s grounds.
I would also LOVE to meet Mata Hari ......if you read my blog you would know that I grew up seriously considering the occupation of becoming the best detective in the country and this gypsy-like mysterious creature was always an idol (maybe not the best...but pre- internet children did not always have ALL the facts)
6. Have you any great advice for aspiring artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
I have been a marketing person for most of my working career, so that is a chain of thought that always come natural to me....how will I market this. Being in business, it is a good thought to ALWAYS have in mind.
I think the 3 most important things that I always come back to is...
Focus on your niche, until you are established well
....don`t spread yourself too thin, we don`t have enough time
Plan your work and work your plan
How and where will you market yourself and your product
You can visit Chamara at her blog ...
www.gypsypurple.blogspot.com

Creative Type Interview with Toymaker Jhoanna Aranez

MADAME BUTTERFLY'S CREATIVE CABINET

THE CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW
This week's interview is with Toy Maker JHOANNA ARANEZ, she tells us in her own words about her creative life in Melbourne , Australia ...
1. DESCRIBE yourself, where you work (studio/room or town) and your Artwork /Craft!
I'm a Mum to two girls - a toddler and a baby, and am wife to Australia's Mr Gadget (www.mrgadget.com.au).
I'm currently on maternity leave but will soon be returning to my day-job, which is an IT Analyst. I started making soft toys for my first daughter and it ballooned from there. I now make a range of soft toys, namely Shmerpi creatures, Chibi dolls, and softies with quilted patchwork. 
I also love collage using mixed media, including fabric. I have overtaken a small corner in our upstairs leisure room as my own little studio. We live in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia.
2.HOW did you get started ?, WHAT were your influences?
As a child I was always drawing and making things with my hands. My best subjects in school were Art and Graphics.  Then somehow I ended up in IT! My day-job didn't provide much opportunity for creativity.
I started reading craft blogs as a way to fire up the part of me that was yearning to be creative again and became an instant fan of Loobylu.  I started making softies, inspired by Loobylu's Month of Softies, for my own daughter. Then another. Then another. And then it just became addictive!
In terms of soft toys, I currently find inspiration in soft-toys made by Wee Wonderfuls, While She Naps,Love=Creatures, and Wishes & Heros.
3.WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
With soft toys, it's the ability to give each his/her own 
personality/quirk/look that makes it so enjoyable. 
With collage, it's more the freedom in the process and the use of mixed media that makes it so attractive - I also love the fact that you don't have to be so precise as you do with sewing projects.
4.WHO or WHAT  is Inspiring you right now?
In addition to some of my soft toy heroes above, I'm still very much inspired by the Japanese soft-toy aesthetic
and by my two girls(who kindly test out my soft-toy prototypes!)
And I love patchwork and the way that artists/crafters are incorporating it into their creations whether it be a log-cabin pillow or a mixed-media painting.
5.A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
Ava and Aurora (my girls),my first morning coffee,
anything rocky-road, Japanese food, Japanese fabric,
little birds, vintage photographs, orchids & lilies,
cool weather, maple trees, board games,
the colour blue, Ava's drawings.
6.If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
I'd love to visit my ancestors, to see how they lived, what they experienced on a daily basis, and how they used what they had to make what they needed.
7. Have you any great advice for aspiring 
artists/designers/craftspeople/small business owners?
For me the most important thing was to actually make time to be creative - to put aside time everyday, every other day or weekly, to be in my studio and be committed to work on something whether it be an actual project, making the product tags, or updating my blog.
Keep the creative ball rolling.  Also experiment in and explore different styles, processes, ways of doing things, artists/crafters and their ideas.  Challenge yourself to regularly step out of your comfort zone - much learning happens that way too!
8.What are you working on right now?
More Shmerpi creatures, Chibi dolls and softies with quilted patchwork are in progress.  I am also putting aside additional time to undertake more collage and to experiment with different media and illustration.
Later on in the year I hope to start on baby accessories like blankets and quilts to match some of my soft-toys
You can visit JHOANNA at her Website, Shop and Blog... www.oneredrobin.com

This interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in February 2007. All images are the copyright of Jhoanna Aranez.

Sculpture Artist CINNAMON !

MADAME BUTTERFLY'S CREATIVE CABINET
Be Inspired by a new Person, Place or Project!

THE CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW
This week's interview is with Artist CINNAMON , she tells us in her own words about her creative life as a Scupture Artist, Gallery Owner, Mum and Newsletter Creator ...
1. DESCRIBE yourself, where you work ( studio/room or town) and your Artwork /Craft!
I am an artist, mother of two, loving partner, gallery owner, regional cultural newsletter editor and B&B operator.
I live and create in beautiful Aireys Inlet, on the surf coast of Victoria, Australia. It is here that I have been filling the garden and house/B&B with artwork/love, so my fleeting moments in my studio are full of inspiration!
My main medium is welded metalwork, but I am known to dabble in mosaics from time to time.
2.HOW did you get started ?, WHAT were your influences ?
I am very fortunate to have been raised in a creative family with parents who supported the four of us kids from their creativity. Pottery, painting, weaving, sculpture over the years....and they are still successfully creating and travelling the world with their art! Highly inspiring stuff, so when I took up an artistic way to make a living, there was no question, only support and encouragement.
I studied BA visual arts at Ballarat University, and came out of it with a travelling scholarship. Instantly I travelled through Britain and Europe to soak up as many sculpture parks, art galleries and artist's studios as was possible.
Upon my return I have lived, created and sold my art from the one space as much as possible. This makes raising a family, mixed with being an artist, as simple as possible!
Late in 2004, I opened Sacred Moon gallery in an old church building in Deans Marsh, 20 min inland from the coast. This is now proving to be a successful venture with the gallery grounds housing an eclectic gallery promoting the region's fine artists, an outdoor sculpture garden, an exhibition space, second hand bookshop, an artist's studio, a monthly market and many more exciting boutique events.
3.WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
I love the freedom to be who I want to be, and to make beautiful things that lift the spirit!
I am also enjoying watching my kids, Chloe 7 years and Kobi 9 months, be positively influenced by their creative surroundings. Chloe even has her own market stall at my gallery now!
4.WHO or WHAT  is Inspiring you right now?
As always, my immediate surroundings! My gorgeous family, my garden and the natural environment.
Organic shapes and forms inspired by our native flora and fauna have always featured highly on my inspirations list.
5.A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
dragonflies, the moon, spirals, my sweet and supportive partner, chloe and kobi giggling together in the bath, the ocean around Aireys Inlet, meeting gorgeous souls at the gallery, and selling art!
6.If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
Back to the Art Neavou period of art and design! I would also love to meet Antonio Gaudi.
7. Have you any great advice for aspiring  artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
Follow your heart! Do what you love the best you can, listen to the advice your elders pass on to you and live your dreams! We are all in charge of our own reality, so have the courage to change what doesn't feel right and the universe will provide!
JUST DO IT!
The Sacred Moon Gallery is located in Deans Marsh, Victoria, Australia. You can contact Cinnamon on 03 5289 7471 and here are some events coming up in the Gallery for the next month! ...
January 7th Deans Marsh community market @ Sacred Moon gallery, 10am-1pm plants, olive products, wine, coffee, soaps, massage, tarot reading, s/hand books, jewellery, plants, cd's, photography and more!
This month's special guests: VICTORIANA GAYE & JEFF RAGLUS playing live freeky folk music from 11am.
Brain Food Books is now open and ready for trade, open gallery hours Fri-sun 10am-5pm & Mondays 10am - 2pm. Current exhibition in bookshop,
Faeries and Fantasy -paintings, sculpture, cards and gift bags by Susan Richards.
New stock - plenty of fresh quality artwork from regional artists: ceramics, glass jewellery, metalwork, garden sculpture, art to wear and plenty more.
Coming up in February New found object, wall-works by Lindy Lynch 4th - 28th
......and down the road......
MOVED BY THE SEA - an exhibition of recent metalwork and furniture by GrayFurn's Rod Gray and Sacred Moon's Cinnamon Stephens. Plus plenty of invited top regional artists. Paintings and wall works by Jan Francis, Susan Romyn, Bianca Clipperton and Cynthia Wynhoven, sculpture by Ian Westwood, Laurie Close, Mirran Bolger and Robert Mills......plus more    JAN 11TH-14TH Uniting Church Hall, Lorne open 12-6 daily FREE ENTRY

This interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in January 2007. All images are the Copyright of Cinnamon Stephens.

Interview with Artist Bianca Clipperton

THE CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW
This week we interview Artist BIANCA CLIPPERTON who resides and works in country Victoria, Australia.
Bianca creates amazingly beautiful artworks that are embellished, bejewelled and decorative with rich colours and ornate bead work. Originally trained as a jeweller, this part of her career shines through in her art. She recently held a Solo exhibition called Transfigure at the Sacred Moon Gallery in Victoria also and pictured are some of the wonderful pieces from this show! Read on to find out more about Bianca, in her own words ...
DESCRIBE yourself, where you work and your Artwork /Craft!
I am an "ornamentalist", an anti-minimalist! Everything I do is ornate, bejewelled, decorative. My training as a jeweller extends into the mixed media collages and sculptures I create.
My workspace is a converted garage affectionately known as the "Red Shed" - the walls are a delicious berry shade. It is my haven.
HOW did you get started ?, WHAT were your influences ?
My first true creation was a bracelet made of fimo and covered in "jewels" found in an op shop for my mother's birthday when I was fourteen. I wanted to make something which recycled "preloved " things and gave them a new life.
WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
I love that there are no rules. I work on an instinctive aesthetic and  pieces evolve and change from the initial idea to finished product.
WHO or WHAT  is Inspiring you right now?
Women and nature and the ability to transform.
A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
Favourite things are the colour red, seahorses and music.
Favourite places are the beach in winter, driving on an "adventure" with my family, and art galleries.
My perfect day would be spent in bed with a book ( a luxury that I can't afford now that I have children!)
If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
Definitely Barcelona 1926 - I would save Gaudi from the tram and help him to record his complete vision for the Sagrada Familia.
Have you any great advice for aspiring  artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
Only to have faith in yourself - if you don't try you will never know if you can succeed.
Take the first step - from little things big things grow...
Visit Bianca at her website www.clipperton.id.au to see more of her bejewelled works.
This interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in December 2006. All images are copyright of Bianca Clipperton.

Interview with Artist Jenny Vorwaller

THE CREATIVE TYPE INTERVIEW
This week we interview artist and jewellery designer extrordonaire Jenny Vorwaller. We love her very popular blog TRUE NATURE and always find her work inspirational. This adventurous girl has just relocated to South America from the United States. She tells us about collecting new ideas,her business QUEEN THINGS, her new home and using her talents to their fullest! Read on ti find out more ... in her own words! ...
DESCRIBE yourself, where you work (studio/room or town)
and your Artwork/Craft!
I just recently relocated from the US to a coastal city of 2 million people in South America.  I’ve only been here for a month and already I feel inspired by new landscapes.  I’m making plans for further travel, and to study metalwork at an art center here in the city. 
At the moment, I‘m focusing on my jewelry design and launching a new website that showcases each of my collections that unfold like a storybook.  Each “little story” will be a narrative of my latest inspiration, I can’t wait till it launches! I also have some collaboration works with other artists that I plan to reveal in the new year, in between my collections.
HOW did you get started?, WHAT were your influences ?
I think that my mom planted my love of art in me.  She just has the most exquisite taste and always pays attention to the details, which was a big influence on me growing up.
I have a tiny photo of her as a little girl on my studio desk, and I like to look up and see her smiling with encouragement while I work.   
I remember always wanting to be an artist.  There wasn’t really a clear beginning; art was just a part of me from the start. 
WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
I love that I can bring all of my talents to the table.  For so long I felt that I needed to just pick one passion to pursue and ignore the rest. Using jewelry as my medium allows me channel my creativity and share little stories with people who wear my work.  Collecting ideas is an ongoing evolution, I find researching so exciting.  It’s a process where I recognize what I love! Pulling little crushes from the fashion world, the use of color from painting, themes from art history and nature.
I feel like I’ve finally found a form of expression that knows no limits, but that lets me focus at the same time.          
WHO or WHAT is Inspiring you right now?
Nature is always my biggest influence, she never fails to reveal fresh beauty. Also miniatures, the scent of summer jasmine in bloom here, European architecture, cursive handwriting on antique paper, twinkle lights, my vintage dualflex camera, and adding to my sundress collection.
A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
There is something restoring about having a slow day to myself to visit a bookstore with a café and space to indulge in some new reads.  I can’t wait to visit the romantic neighborhood of San Telmo in Buenos Aires soon, (just a short ferry ride away) with cobblestone streets, colonial buildings and just the right atmosphere for inspirations.  I hear that there is just the best flea market there!
If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who
would you visit?
That’s one that could change everyday! Can I renew my time machine? Perhaps today I would visit Armand Winfield, someone who proves my theory that art can cross over into other intelligent fields, not just in the traditional sense.  When he needed funding for his work in plastics, he commissioned artists to contribute their talent on a miniature level and encased them inside the acrylics. I would love to go back into that time and just peek in that window display of wearable art and I sense a similar collection coming with my work soon.
Have you any great advice for aspiring
artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
Let your calling in life take shape organically.  Don’t push it, take your time and just listen to your own voice.
See more of Jenny's inspiring work at her ETSY SHOP ...   
www.queenthings.etsy.com {my etsy shoppe}
Visit her at her BLOG ...
www.jennyvorwaller.com/blog {my journal}
and her new exciting site where she will showcase a new collection in the new year ...
www.queenthings.com
This Interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in December 2006. Copyright for all images is retained by the artist Jenny Vorwaller!

Interview with Crafter Nichola Prested ( Nikkishell)

The Creative Type Interview

NIKKISHELL!

This week's interview is with Melbourne based Crafter and Artist Nichola Prested, otherwise known by Nikkishell, the name of her business and Blog! She has also created some wonderful things for the Madame Butterfly Gallery some of which are pictured here and available right now in our SHOP! ... Some fabulous Christmas Stockings and Craft Rolls for all your tools like knitting needles, crochet hooks, brushes and pencils! Read on to find out all her crafting wonderfulness in her own words ...

DESCRIBE yourself, where you work ( studio/room or town) and your Artwork /Craft!

I'm a 28 year old SAHM to two girls aged 1 and 2 1/2, as you can imagine they keep me on my toes but when i get the chance i like to craft craft craft!  I especially love to sew but i also knit, crochet, make cardsand I dabble in lots of other crafts as and when they take my fancy. 

I'm a Pastry Chef by trade so bake a lot too.  I'm lucky enough to have a very supporting husband that encourages my creativity as long as i encourage his cd collection and love for Heavy Metal!  I work from my own little room in my home in Melbourne, i love being in there and wish I had more time to spend in there creating beautiful things. I'm thinking of cloning myself so that i can spend half of my day in there and half with the girls, the clones would do all the other stuff!
HOW did you get started ?, WHAT were your influences ?
I've always been crafty/arty from a young age,  i sewed with my Mam now and again.  My favourite subjects at school were art and CDT (craft, design, technology).  I went on to study art and photography A levels then a Degree in photography.  All the time i was doing this i was working as a Pasty chef and decided after Uni that i'd stick with it due to the work being easier to find.  I took up knitting when i was pregnant with my first child for some reason I can never remember, my wonderful friend Julie was patient enough to help me learn again.  I bought the Stich n bitch book and came across a group in Melbourne which is where we planned to emigrate to, i signed up to the list and made friends who are now among my best friends!  I started a blog (nikkishell.typepad.com) and have come across so many wonderful and inspirational people.

WHAT do you love about what you make or do?

I love the process of it all, from the thing/s that inspire me, to the idea in my head, to the sketch i jot down, to the fabric/trim/colours i decide on, to the finished piece, to the smile on the persons face when i give it to them.
WHO or WHAT  is Inspiring you right now?

My girls, 50's vintage sewing patterns
Ribbons, Beautiful fabrics
Fellow bloggers
Flickr
Sustainability
Books and Mags
A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
My family
My sewing machine
My bed
My perfect day would be a day of time to myself doing whatever I feel like doing, no interruptions, no demands, just me me me!
If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
I'd go back to the 50's so i could wear the beautiful dresses and hats and gloves!

Have you any great advice for aspiring artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
Do what makes you happy and go for it!

Visit Nichola at her Blogs ... Nikkishell  and wardrobe fashion and at her Etsy shop ...

This Interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in November 2006!

Interview with Lilia Meredith!

MADAME BUTTERFLY'S CREATIVE CABINET
THE 'CREATIVE TYPE' INTERVIEW
This week's Creative Type Interview is with the wonderful Miss Lilia Meredith. We first discovered Lilia through her beautiful photos on her Flickr site where they illuminated the computer screen and drew us into her colourful, vintage world! Read on to find out about her Shabby Chic Studio and Flea Market adventures... In her own words ...
DESCRIBE yourself, where you work and your Artwork /Craft!
I am a California girl living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
I work at home in a little studio that I've created.
It is a vintage inspired Shabby studio filled with victorian scrapbooks, rubber stamps, glass glitter, vintage ephemera, thrifted fabrics, vintage office supplies,lots of
mediums (paints, crayons, pastels, watercolors), english tins filled with goodies and so many vintage photographs I have started my own family tree! I create anything from paper goods to vintage ispired scrapbooks and home decor.
HOW did you get started ?, WHAT were your influences ?
I got started in 2002 when I had my little girl. I had so many pictures I knew I needed to put them in albums, so I started scrapbooking. I worked in the Scrapbooking industry including a couple Companies as a Design Team member. I knew my passion was to do more than just scrapbooking when I walked into a Stamp Store called The Frenzy Stamper in
Scottsdale, AZ . I loved that the store offered so many mediums Ive never even used before! I stared taking classes and then started teaching!
Since then I've been working on my own website   
...fleamarketstudio and just having fun learning, creating and meeting new friends!
WHAT do you love about what you make or do?
So many things I can't even keep track...
The process is always the best part! I can just get lost in the little studio for hours! Coming up with new ideas, learning new techniques taught by other amazing artists , and last but not least meeting other people with the same passion as mine.
WHO or WHAT is Inspiring you right now?
A couple of months back I discovered flickr a photo hosting site. The people I've met on the site are so inspiring ! Anything from shop owners to mixed-media artists to photographers...All I can say is Wow!
A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?
I am a flea market shopper and thrift store girl. I love to hit thrift stores around me. I usually go early and look for things on my list...
They include old tulle, fabrics, old paper goods, english tins,sewing notions, ribbons, old photographs, vintage baby albums, vintage children's books and readers, anything I can use in my art.
A perfect day... well hit my thrift stores and then come home and create!
If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who would you visit?
I wouldnt have minded meeting Audrey Hepburn or Frank Sinatra. I love the ultra chic Rat pack era........
Have you any great advice for aspiring
artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?
You really have to have a passion for what you do.
Visit Lilia's beautiful FLEA MARKET STUDIO flickr albums at ... www.flickr.com/photos/liliameredith/
and you can create your own photo sharing site too ... www.flickr.com
and her shop at ETSY ... www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=56230

This interview was featured in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in December 2006!

All images are under the Copyright of Lilia Meredith

Interview with Kathleen Rossi Howell of Liquid Sky Arts!

This Creative Type Interview is with the inspiring Kathleen Rossi-Howell. Currently based in

Oregon

,U.S.A she creates beautiful Jewellery, Cards and Paper Products. We delve into her glorious creative world this week filled with to die for photos! She tells us all, in her own words ...

1. DESCRIBE yourself,

where you work and your Artwork /Craft!

I'm a freshly transplanted Californian living in a small quirky coastal town in

Northern Oregon

. I  love to dabble across many different mediums. I create original silk-screened and collage cards, jewelry, photography, and other goodies to sell on my website Liquid Sky Arts.

Everything is made here in my lovely little home studio, where I'm always kept in good company with my two sweet spaniels that lay curled up by my side.

2.HOW did you get started?, WHAT were your influences ?

Creativity is one of the common threads that runs throughout my family. I feel really lucky in the way that my mom, sister, aunt, and grandmothers all love color and design just as much as I do.

So no one was at all surprised, when I said I was going to school to get a degree in Art. There I studied everything across the board from painting, photography, to fibers.  I love to incorporate all of these things into my website and jewelry. It's great to mix things up!

3.WHAT do you love about what you make or do?

My absolute favorite part about making things is the process. I love being able to create beautiful things with my hands  and getting lost in the flow of creativity.   It's the most wonderful feeling when someone goes out of their way to write me a letter about how much they love something they've bought from my shop,

or to see a photo of someone out and about wearing one of my pins or necklaces.

4.WHO or WHAT is Inspiring you right now?

Orla Kiely's designs, the anthropologie catalog, vintage textiles, piles of old Fiesta & Bauer pottery, prints, patterns, and color combinations found in nature really inspire me too. The fall colored trees that are dotting the landscape right now in fire-y reds, yellow, and oranges makes my mind just whirl with inspiration.

5.A FEW of Your Favourite things, places, your perfect day?

I love exploring NEW places. Seeing something for the first time is beyond thrilling for me. So much so, it's nearly impossible to wipe the smile from my face! For me, a simple change of scenery is always part of the makings for a perfect day. Sometimes it's something as simple as a break from my normal routine, like finding a new scenic walking path.

6.If you could Travel through time, where would you go/who

would you visit?

My favorite time period for design is the late 1880's- 1920's.  I would love to go back in time and see all of the decorations of this period in it's heyday. 

Art nouveau especially...as it was the first modern style of the 20th century. I admire how they looked forwards not backwards in history. Truly inspiring!

7. Have you any great advice for aspiring

artists/designers/craftspeople /small business owners?

The best advice I can give to aspiring artists and designers is to follow their own vision, not to concern themselves with what their peers are creating, and to go at your own pace.  Find your own unmistakable style, and never give up. And of course.... Always follow your bliss!

See more of Kathleen's gorgeous creations at her website and shop ... www.liquidskyarts.com

All images are the copyright of Kathleen Rossi Howell!

This Interview was published in the Madame Butterfly Gallery in November 2006!