Long live CRAFT!

Do you ever get the feeling a Crafty change is in the air?
Creativity runs through my veins, but so does the feeling one must keep moving forward.
I often wonder if people have the time to read anymore internet stuff relating to my humble crafty offerings as there are a zillion Craft Blogs out there all proudly displaying their wares . There also seems to be so much written about the craft movement at the moment, both online and in the print media........
I hope people haven't reached CRAFT OVERLOAD!
Can they still bear to fork out money for another cute knitted tea cosy or handmade brooch?
I'm just pondering the possibility, but I guess a good yard stick will be how well the Craft stall at my sons school fete goes. Me and a group of Mums have been meeting regularly whipping up crafty goodies from pre-loved and donated materials and are hoping the crowds respond well and we reap in the bucks. We will be selling knitted tea cosies and handmade brooches I might add!
Still, I know the day will soon be here when mass produced goods with a hand crafted feel will flood the shopping malls and that all craft, good and bad, could easily fall out of favour with the general public.
Lets hope this day is a long way off or else never comes at all. Long live Craft! And long live the blogs that promote it!

What's going on?

Heaps, that's what.
*A big pile of orders due to head out round the country and New Zealand over the next few weeks. New stockists include "Falkner Gallery" in Castlemaine and "Things Loft" in Dunedin.
*Custom orders like this Love Bird clock for a wedding gift.

*More of these snow domes for people who missed out at Craft Victoria...running low on rabbits now. Yesterday I delivered one to an amazing lady who had a cottage full of gorgeous old things and two beautiful Mirka Mora's on her walls.*The girls in the house are getting excited about the impending release of Caitlin Shearer tees.This is one of my favorite prints from Pepperminte ...imagine this on a tee shirt. Brilliant!

Open Sesame..... go on open it!

I was clicking around the new issue of Sesame Magazine, having fun colouring in the Beci Orpin Russian girl and drooling over the gorgeous styling.There is cute animation and interesting interviews. The best bit is it's all Australian made.
The featured "Blogs we Heart" is the uber cool and up to the minute "The Design Files". Some Betty Jo brooches from Moose pop up for a few second too. The four brooches had been in a feature on The Design Files in July about an exclusive sale at Moose. The sale is over now, but three of these guys are still available!

Sunny Sunday

This made my Sunday....nay, it has made my whole week!
Betty Jo love from Sunny Buick. Destination: Paris France

Skull illustrations from Sunny Buick and Day of the Dead brooches from Betty Jo. I didn't get inspiration from these , but I almost could have!! It's funny how things work on the parallel sometimes.

Walking Billboards....

Look at these two gals snapped at the Craft and Design as a Career seminar yesterday. Both sporting their own jewellery (as you do), caught on camera phone then magically appearing in facebook world and blogland in less than 24 hours.
Ali's Australiana cool and perfectly touristy neckpiece is called "Brooch for a Comedians Mother". "During the Melbourne Comedy Festival last year I noticed a lot of visiting comedians in town during the day. I figured that however wacky and zany they are, they all had mothers that are normal, and they all needed to buy their mothers a present from Melbourne. I thought I could make something."Liz's "Clarice" necklace, named after Clarice Cliff is from the latest "Lino Deco"range. A collection of six recent designs from Betty Jo evoking the bold colour schemes and strong geometric patterns of the Art Deco era.
It can't hurt plugging your work, especially if it's as easy as doing up a clasp round your neck or pinning a brooch on your cardi!

Nature vs Nurture

It's busy again at Betty Jo Headquarters. Well, it's never not busy here.......keeping on top of life, paperwork (groan), maintaining a sense or order in the general disarray of my surrounds.
Being neat doesn't always come naturally. It's the old Nature vs Nurture argument.
I know it's a genetic thing, as my Mum loathed housework(her words) and I'm housework's LEAST biggest fan. No one in the Betty Jo household inherited the particular neatness trait that is a somewhat enviable feature others possess. The trait that possibly leads you to colour code your bookshelf....something to aim for methinks. How gorgeous does this look!Tomorrow I'll be at "Craft and Design as a Career"run by Craft Victoria and held at the Melbourne Museum. After not managing to get to the last few, I've realized Craft and Design is actually the career path I am following, and anything to assist in improving my business nous is only going to be helpful. And I'm keen to hear Ms Julia deVille (who is practically Jewellery Royalty) speak about her experiences.

Convoy

These 50's caravan brooches have been especially made for a Brand New shop opening very soon.
They are tagging behind my 70's Matchbox caravan... reminiscent of my Grandma's life size one where I spent many a childhood holiday in cramped but joyful summer bliss!
The brooches will soon be travelling up to Daylesford with some other Betty Jo goodies. I've been umming and ahhing about making this design for a year now, but all I needed was a reason!!!
Tonight I'm off to see a complimentary screening of "Van Gogh- Brush with Genius" at Imax, with a free choc top on arrival...Wooo!

"Granny Chic"

Yes, this is a design genre I could happily slot into. No fixed rules. Just a nice mix of Nana Crafty, homey and colourful. There is even a flickr group for your Granny Chic moments.I've got a dog and two cats in the mix at my place. And in response to Tinnie Girl, we once had "Cats and Dog on the table" issues.....just reinforcing the Ma and Pa Kettle image here at Betty Jo headquarters.
In fact, when you ask my daughter what she wants to be when she grows up, she often answers "A Crazy Cat Lady"!
Chester likes his Nana "Potty Chair" minus the chamber pot! I found him and Bella (ginger cat) curled up together on this one morning.

Breakfast.....

Tea, toast and thrifted tablecloth.
I turned my head and sprung Pedro eyeing off my Promite toast (hands up for Promite! Blah to Vegemite).....Non Crazy Cat Women-look away!

Springtime Clock

It's not Spring yet............
..........but it may as well be.

Brooch Action!

There's a lot of Brooch action goin' down in da hood. Some over at Gina's and some at Ann Marie's.
And heaps at my place.
Practically all my orders from Life Instyle so far have been BROOCHES....Go the clasp!I'm pleased this owlie brooch has found such a cute owner in the mystery Swappapalooza crafty exchange! I'm still waiting for mine, but I think it had farther to travel.

Seeing Red

Ok, I know I'm all over the shop with a photo a day. I can't follow instructions however hard I try. Much to my families amazement I pulled out the "Curry Bible " the other night and started following a recipe, but then I began turning pages and the curry ended up as an amalgamation of several curries...but it was voted a success!I'm wondering if it had something to do with this most excellent red enamel cooking pot. If I had been working in the op shop where I found it, it would have been snatched up quick smart and never have seen the light of day. Red was a recurring theme for me today. I think I like red as much as I like orange.

*Loving my new Klei earings

Take me to Luxton Lake

Firstly I would buy this Linoleum Rug if I had a cool $2000.00 USD floating around. And if I had some more money to spare I would fly like a jetsetter to visit this cottage in Upstate N.Y. and maybe ask if I could live there for a while......

Worn Out......

I like things Worn,Rusty,Cracked,
Scratched,
Wonky, Peeling, and decidedly Urban!Thanks to the Canon, the light of a Winters morning...and a "photo(s) a day" over here.
Click on the pics to have a better squizzy!

"Where the Lovely Things Are"

"Brooches and necklaces I think you may like... I mean, I don't know for sure, but I sure enjoy them a whole lot. I found them at Georgie Love & they're created by Betty Jo Designs. No two items are alike, as she uses found materials & such... Betty Jo turns "everyday items from the past" into "wearable memories".
This is pretty cheer-uppable! Thank you "Where the Lovely Things Are". You are a beautiful blog.
Photos by the famous Sally from Georgie Love -the extremely fabulous online store.

Crossing the river to see some crafty peeps at Magnolia Square today......Big expedition, packing sandwiches!

"Plinth"

Here's a Betty Jo Snow Globe brooch on a plinth at Craft Victoria.
I could say plinth all day and still sound like my son trying to get his mouth wrapped around all words containing TH...... Plin-TH
Even though it's a tiny plinth, the nice thing about this very crappy camera phone picture (but it's a pic a day right!) is the red dot next to it. A lovely man bought it because it reminded him of his late Mum who had lost her battle with breast cancer. She fancied snowglobes and rabbits.
This is particularly poignant as yesterday I found out my Mum is starting round two of her battle with the same thing. Go Mum, you can beat it.

Colour my World

Lino Deco for here and here.
Picked these up the other day at my local op shop. They are calling out to be made into something...ideas welcome.

Button, Button, who's got the Button!

.........From the Inventing Room scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wonka is looking for the start button for the machine that packs an entire meal into a piece of chewing gum (which turns Violet into a giant blueberry) and says "Button, button, who's got the button?"
And who has won the Lino Forest Bag O'Buttons Giveaway?
Congratulations to Gina from Clutterpunk, who said "Ohh, lovely buttons, sorted into colours, making my mouth water. I would eat the buttons if I won them. Or potentially do something more productive like thread them onto some electrical wire to make a button bracelet! But really, they're like lovely M&Ms..."
Now we must all monitor Gina's button intake in case she turns into a Giant M&M!
Speaking of Willy Wonka and Roald Dahl , check out the trailer for the NEW "Fantastic Mr. Fox " movie. I've been waiting a while for this.

Rainy Day x Four

Yesterday I ventured out in the rain to the Royal Exhibition Buildings to spend time at the Life Instyle trade show. Very busy and colourful inside. As opposed to the wintry and grey weather outside.And because I can't bear to post with out a splash of colour I looked for some to brighten the afternoon gloom.Posting four pictures should cover me if I forget to post "A photo a day in August".
Give away Winner announced tomorrow.

A photo a day in August.

Ms. Megan of The Byron Life has a new camera baby too, so to celebrate and get into the practice of using it we are invited to play "A photo a day in August". Go and join in if you need some snappy motivation.
I will even endeavour to read the manual of my new camera by the end of August...I promise.
Just a reminder, you only have today and tomorrow left to enter my BagO'buttons GIVEAWAY.Still life with buttons, brooch, notepad and tins I found with the box of Formica from last post. The tobacco tin had a roll of gaffer tape in it and the spark plug tin had a bag of silver glitter!!!!