Melbourne Cup - Truly Fascinating!

The Spring Racing Carnival is well and truly underway here in Australia and that means it's time to frock up and don your best hat or fascinator. It's an accepted fashion fact that no Melbourne Cup outfit would be complete without the most essential of all accessories; the fluffy plumery adorning our heads that we simply can't wear any other time of the year. That's right ladies, I'm talking about fascinators and hats! I'll be sporting a lovely black and white print dress for this year's luncheon but alas, I had no fascinator to match. How sad, I hear you say. Well let's remedy that as I share how I made one that suits my dress perfectly. As complicated as fascinators look, they are really simple to make and a whole lot kinder on the budget than buying a ready made one. I bought my headband base and assorted feathers from Lincraft's Spring Racing line, and satin bow hair clips (bobby pins) and a fabric flower hair clip from Cosmetics Plus. You......

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Halloween in a bottle

Whilst our friends in the northern hemisphere gear up to celebrate Halloween this weekend, it's a very low key affair here in Australia with just a few youngsters canvassing the neighbourhood hoping to bag a swag of candy and other sweet treats. For a child, Halloween offers one of the sweetest joys of childhood..... lollies! Each year, we have a few more knocks on the door than we did the year before. There's no denying that Halloween is slowly gaining in popularity in Australia, especially with the younger generation. And in a conversation with a fellow resin enthusiast last week (who also happens to work with latex masks) she was telling me how excited she was about receiving her invitation to the local special FX industry's Halloween bash. My local costume shop had cars parked up and down the street tonight. With late night trading, they seemed to be doing a roaring trade with people gearing up for parties across Brisbane, so it just goes to show that there will a......

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New Resin Jewellery Making Course

A lot of you have told me that you would really like to learn how to make your own resin jewellery but you don't want to make chunky bangles and rings. Instead you'd rather learn how to capture objects in resin and create pendants, earrings, brooches and pins. You'd like to learn how to embed photographs, found objects and pressed flowers - you want to make resin jewellery with interesting elements that has special meaning to you. If this sounds like you, then read on...... I've been listening to your requests and I've come up with a new and different resin course where you learn how to layer, coat, pour, embed and cast with resin. It covers working with photographs, organic materials, papers and other objects that can be used as inclusions. It's been a lot of fun creating samples using some of the workshop techniques and I thought you might enjoy seeing what I've been up to. So here's a montage of some of the techniques covered. The first workshop......

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Stripes and Spots

I've been locked away in my studio all week working away feverishly on the many different things I have on the go at present. Sydney Papercrafts Festival is fast approaching (yes, just two weeks away!) so I have been creating Make and Takes projects, packing class kits for the workshops, packing resin kits for my weekend resin classes and I've also been working on a number of different projects for my latest resin workshop which I will soon be offering. (I'm really excited about the new workshop but more on that later.) So I've been juggling a bit lately but somehow, you always manage to get it all done. Yesterday, I even managed to escape and spent a half day at the Craft and Quilt show in Brisbane. OK, so a half day wasn't enough to see it all, especially when I got waylaid at the bead stands. I'm such a sucker for all things jewellery that I didn't even get to the quilt display. I would have liked to have spent more time taking in some of the textile c......

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Katiedids Jewellery Components

At CHA in July, I had the very great pleasure of taking a class with Katie Hacker. Katie's bio in the jewellery making industry is extensive and among her current titles she is an Ambassador for Swarovski Crystallized Elements, a Design Team member for Beadalon, an author of more than 20 books and her latest gig is as host of Beads, Baubles and Jewels. So when you take a class from Katie, you are really getting an expert! Earlier in the year Beadalon released her hot new line of Katiedids components. These are seriously cool bezels designed to simulate the look of channel set stones but without the need for metalsmithing skills. I posted some of the pieces we made in class in an earlier post. I really loved that class because I'd seen the components online but they weren't yet available in Australia. I was itching to try them and Katie generously gave me some extra pieces to have a play with. So first up, I decided to work with them in a traditional jewellery making ......

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"Why You Craft" winner!

Well that was a short and sweet giveaway! Thank you to all who shared their reasons (and excuses, wink, wink) with me. And whilst there were not so many crafters out there willing to leave a comment (I guess some of you are shy!) I still appreciate that you took the time to read my post. Those who did though had really high odds of winning. It was quite insightful to read the very varied reasons why people craft. And so that brings me to announce who the winner is (drawn randomly, of course!): Artseyanne who said... Hi Mylene, I create for the sheer pleasure of seeing something like a piece of paper turn into something unique! It also helps to keep me sane!!! Congratulations Artseyanne! Contact me by email: mylene@milllanestudio.com so that I can send you your prize. Here's what you've won: I'll be back again later in the week to share the latest goings-on in my studio. Hope you'll stop by again soon.... If you can't get enough of My Tutor......

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Blog Giveaway!!! Why do you craft?

This month, Fave Crafts put a question out to craft industry designers and bloggers: Who inspired you to become an artist and why do you create? If you'd like to read what inspired me to become a designer in the craft industry, then take a little read here at the fave crafts blog where you'll find out who or what inspired many of the craft industry's designers and artists. It makes fascinating reading! I thought it would also be interesting to hear why you create so I'm having a blog giveaway to encourage you to tell me a little about yourself. No need to write an essay, but just tell me briefly why you love to create and who or what inspires you, and you'll be in the draw to win this faux perfume bottle necklace from my Vessels and Vials collection. It comes with a silver tone chain so it will be ready for you to wear. On Sunday night (10th Oct), I'll draw a number randomly and announce the winner. This giveaway is open to everyone and I will post the pri......

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Quota Craft and Gift Fair - Sunday, October 10 2010

If you're looking for a pleasant way to spend a few hours next weekend, why not drop into the Quota Craft and Gift Fair at the Carina Leagues Club on Sunday, 10th October and make a start on your Christmas shopping. This annual event is sponsored by Quota Carindale and all funds raised go to worthy causes such as Aspergers Syndrome, Cleft Pals and other charities supported by Quota. There will be hands on craft workshops, make and takes, craft supplies and gifts for purchase too, along with half hourly door prize give-aways. I hope you'll stop by the Stamp Antics stand where there will be a great selection of scrapbooking and papercrafting supplies, along with my latest jewellery collection: Faux Perfume Bottle necklaces from my Vessels and Vials collection. Here's the show details: What: Quota Craft and Gift Show When: 10 October 2010 Where: Carina Leagues Club, Creek Road, Carindale Time: 9.00am to 4.00pm Entry $6.00 per person I hope you'll come alon......

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