A little bit of grounding...

Gosh so much going on, but then not really much at all.

For me January is a holiday. A holiday from work and making anyway.

Gnomey in our herb patch.

Time to be with the kids over the holidays and reconnect with family and friends.

(Us with Grandma dot at X-mas)

After such a full on period of work from October to December it sorta feels like January is a jam packed month of making up for lost time.

Cooking, cleaning, de-cluttering and just hanging out.
We have gone through all the cupboards and bookshelves and donated bag upon bag of STUFF.
Stuff that just clutters up our little space and creates such and energy block.

We've been growing herbs, potatoes,

(Kizzy's first batch of potatoes churned out this awesome heart shaped potato. Guess it was grown with love)

lettuce,

and filling our home with fruit and veg.

I do fall into that cliche model of being... who hits January and starts fresh with diet, exercise and reconnecting with all the important things I need to balance my self and start the year with new vigour. Hopelessly predictable, but it works for me, so why not!

I just finished my first e-course in December on surface and pattern design, which absolutely blew my mind with the amazing amount of content. Activities and ideas that will take me another month to process.

Then I have another e-course starting in a few weeks. Hello soul, hello business. I'm very excited by this one.
Hoping to re-connect with my creative soul and start making things from the heart again.
It's far to easy to get caught up in making and re-making and filling orders e.t.c that you just lose your mojo and feel like it's ages since you sat in front of a blank canvas and took time...really took time, to make from the heart.

Image via here

So my January, as always is about finding my centre, finding balance again. Re-connecting and starting fresh.
Happy new year to you all, I hope you are finding yourself grounded and prepared for an awesome 2012.
Jay xx

From little things...

Seems not that long ago that I was stressing out about my little girl making friends on her first day of primary school and today as the bell rings for the last time, I'll be thinking about how sad it will be for her to say goodbye to all those friends she has made over the last seven years.

Today's last day of school not only marks the beginning of summer holidays for my girl, but the ending of Primary school. A time of transition into so many new things. High school...a whole new bunch of kids and teachers to meet, a whole new routine to greet each day... all whilst growing up from a child to a young adult.

She seems to be handling it all o.k. albeit with a touch of sadness in knowing, that only one other person she knows is going to the same high school as her. But with social media what it is today, mobiles and such it's so much easier to keep in touch with old friends, so we'll do our best to maintain old friendships whilst new ones are formed.

On Monday night the event was marked with graduation.

A night to reflect on old times, appreciate all they have achieved and receive there graduation certificates.

School had put together a touching video, showing footage of the kids as preppies interspersed with the class answering questions asked today about there highlights, challenges and hopes for the future.
So nice to see responses from 'I dunno' and 'I always wanted to be a garbage man' to 'I'll be a lawyer' or 'I want to go to university'

The children are our future ... and sometimes amidst making sure they are fed, clothed and arrive to school on time I sorta forget that they are growing up sooo quickly and forming there own opinions on the way this world works and there place in it. BIG STUFF.
Really big stuff.

So I'm so grateful for days like these, that bring it all home. Celebrate achievements and offer wishes for our kids future. Next year is gunna be huge and my little girl is sooo ready for it.

Me though, I sometimes think she's still such a little thing..

Jay xx

The doll house...

After a crazy two months of preparing stock for Christmas, December has been all about birthdays and making presents.

We have two birthdays this month. My niece and my father in law.
F.I.L was born on Christmas day, so I can't spoil the surprise by showing his gifts yet, but for our spunky little niece we have had a project on the go for months.

The 'doll house'

Completely made by hand, via the uber talented F.I.L, then a major group effort in painting and decorating.

Sorta felt like renovation rescue, when we were handed a shell on a Wednesday with a few days left to completely decorate and fit out, ready for gift giving.

From the check tiled kitchen complete with disco balls and flying ducks, to the couch upholstered with vintage tea towels, it certainly has turned out to be OOAK.

Let me give you a tour.

Bathroom complete with shower curtain, towels and even a grandpa on the toilet.

Kids room, with draws and handmade bed.

Master bedroom, so chic....

dining,


kitchen,

and lounge.

Such an amazing amount of work went into making it and I'm sure at some stage we all said...maybe we should have just bought one.

But the end result is something so much more then money could buy.

Yay, for hand made.

Jay xx

Ducks...

Just a little show n' tell of the pieces I came up with for the 'Flight of the ducks' exhibition over at Gleaners.

I went with jewellery as that's my thing...

and found an old Morgans street directory of Melbourne that I cut up.
I used page 44... the best bit of town of course.
It Covers the area from my house to Liz's lovely shop on Ballarat st.

Then I cut some duckies out of black card stock and embedded them in resin.

Too cute.
Jay xx

Calling all ducks...

When the lovely Liz put out the call for crafty peeps to make ducky things for her first Gleaners exhibition, I just couldn't refuse.

Didn't matter that it was my busiest making month of the year, that I was in the middle of an e-course, had an upcoming open studio and high school orientations to attend.

Nah... not too busy, She'll be right.

Well, in retrospect I did possibly over commit, but Somehow... god knows how...I managed to make the time to sit down and design/make some awesomeness for the first ever exhibition to be held at Gleaners.

I can't spoil the opening by showing you my offering, but I can invite you to come see for yourselves the duck extravaganza...

Sydney Rd has much to offer on opening night too...

After the opening of 'Flight of the ducks' why not head down to the late night 'Sisters Market' at Brunswick town hall and then on to Olive Grove studios for our late night shopping....shops open till 9 Yay.
A night positively jam packed with handmade delights.

Might see you there.
Jay xx

Open studio on Wednesday....

This year I'm lucky enough to be part of an open studio event over at Tinniegirl's.
The perfect opportunity to have a sticky beak at the artist studio and original works.

We'll have a mini market set up offering a range of goodies
from Curlypops, Tinniegirl and Moi.
Perfect for dropping in after work and
hopefully crossing a few things off those X-mas lists.

I'll mainly have clothes and cuddlies, so please do drop me a line
if you'd like to see something in particular from my range.


Original Artwork by Tinniegirl

Everyone is welcome
just check the details below to get the address.

Open Studio & End of Year Celebration

Wednesday 14th December 2011
4 – 9pm

Prints, Cards, Jewellery, Stationary, Clothes,
Original Artworks, Cushions & More
Special Guests, Camille Condon {CurlyPops}, Jaylene Juanita {Finki Handmade}

It's a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the year, get together for a glass of bubbles, have a peak into my studio and creative process, and do a little Christmas shopping if you feel so inclined.

If you'd like to come along
please email me at tinniegirl/at/optusnet.com.au
and I'll send you my street address.

All welcome.

Hope to see you there,
Jay xx

{finkigirl} market debut....

The entire {finkigirl} range of jools and works of the artist celebrated,
the fabulous Cathy Kirwan...

will be available tonight at the lovely Made n' Thornbury market.

So if your in the neighborhood, passing by on your way home from work or just looking for a great way to start some handmade Christmas shopping, do pop by.

It's an evening event running from 4- 8pm.

We'll have all our goodies in Silver and gold, the fantastic new lockets
and our new celebrated artworks 'Shine' and 'Journey'.

Hope to see you there.
Jay xx

Boy oh boy have I got a lot to show n' tell...

I've been in overdrive getting all my goodies stocked up for the craziness of December.

So I won't be too wordy with this post, just lots of lovely pics of all the fun stuff coming out of my studio these last few weeks.

Our latest additions to the {finkigirl} range feature the artwork 'Shine and Journey'

We have also extended the range to offer silver and old gold in every piece,
including these fab new lockets that are just running out the door...

Bit of re stocking in the men's corner. Cuff links, bags, cards and badges.

Necklaces galore, from fabric covered buttons and scrabble tiles to tea cups and resin.

New 'Hello Dolly' skirts and 3/4 sleeve cardi's

Totally restocked all my resin clippies, brooches and earrings.

Made some cool screen printed cuddlies and girls singlets.

Finally got round to using some of my cool laser cut shapes for necklaces and a few other tidbits.

and lastly earrings galore.

Resin hooks in silver and old gold, ceramic birdies,
wire wrapped Czech beads and a splash of silver.
All available down at Olive Grove.

Whew...think I'm gunna sleep now.
Jay xx

Another year over...

....and a new one's just begun.

Ti's the time of year for cake, candles and changing that little number in my profile blurb.
Another year older and wiser and still loving my thirties much more then any other decade.

I continue to learn more about myself and my place in this world every day.
Learning, growing and playing.
I hope I never stop learning or stop wanting to.

I won't reel off a list of this years activities, achievements and bridges crossed.
Just know, it was a good one.
One that gives me great enthusiasm for the year to come and all it has to offer.

My day, or weekend really... has been a whirlwind of,

Yummy things,

little things,

crafty hearty awesome things,

and funny things,

A man of many words, this is the inside of my Birthday card from the littlest.
He actually didn't want to write anything.
He just wanted to give it as is, cause it had a cool dinosaur on the front. Hee hee...

All I could wish for and more.
Thanks for another year.
Jay xx

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It sure is...

For me this brings a certain amount of mixed emotions. Well I'm sure it does for everyone matter of fact.
My scenario is, the inevitable excitement of shopping... did I mention I love shopping! Then I also have the job of making sure people have things to shop for.

So on the work front it is crazy busy with a list bigger then I could possibly wish to achieve. But so long as I tick something off every so often and have that sense of achieving something, then it's O.K

A few ticks this week go to...

Firstly, getting some bunting done.

I was thinking for tree trimming but I like it so much that mine has become a permanent fixture above my desk. Mum the master of faster crochet than I, did all the lovely stars for me then I got to sit and join them all together ready for the shop.

Next I ticked off the task of having some new men's tees done...

'T-rex takes Melbourne' is the title of this fun shirt.

I did for a milli second contemplate just having the fabulous Melbourne city skyline as the feature print, but in true Finki form, I had to add a little quirkiness or it just wouldn't be me.
I decided my philosophy with men's tee's would be, 'Ask yourself Jay, would Sheldon wear it' For those not up with eccentric geeky dude Sheldon cooper of Big Bang Theory you may wander 'What the'.
Well what I mean is my style, I have come to realise is bright, bold, fun and sometimes a little retro. Similar to the stylings of our adorable geek Sheldon.
So as much as Melbournians, my home town, do love their black, I shall be trying my darndest to break that mould.

Moving on...
Ladies tee's is the the other thing I can tick off my list.

I did a run of 'Sweeping swallow' in four great summer colors.

So yay for ticking things off the list, makes me feel a little more prepared for the craziness that is Christmas.

Now time for some more shopping.
Oh....and it's not all Christmas shopping. I just find ALL stores focus on stocking there shops to the max with awesomeness right NOW. So it is the best time to shop, for upcoming birthdays e.t.c. Give it a month though and you'll be starting to see the shelves bare as they move off summer and X-mas and start getting ready for Easter!
Maybe not that dramatic, but you catch my drift.
Jay xx

A new range...

Finally I can spill the beans on the secret squirrel business I have been working on of late.

It's been a crafty collaboration a long time in the making.

Not so much that we had been planning it for a long time, more so that when we met so many years ago during our first foray into markets I knew... I just knew that this day would come.

We were both just beginning to take our craft seriously and wonder if we could make a business of it. We both struggled with self acceptance and forms of expression. Wanting to create but not entirely sure what path it would take.

I do believe we are still both on a journey, a creative path that for each of us is so different but has led us to this point in time, this T- intersection in the road that has found us both standing at the same spot at the same time. Confident in our own abilities and creative talent and wandering which path to walk down next.

Well I tell you, the path we have chosen is very exciting and I'm very proud and all tingly to share the results of our first collaboration.

{Finkigirl}

Brought to you by Cathy Kirwan (aka Tinniegirl) and I.

Our first range, celebrating four pieces of art titled
Grow, Acts of love, Abundance and Surrender,

are available in store at Olive Grove studios
or online at Tinniegirl.

Working with my love of colors and Cathy's amazing use of color in her artwork has been an absolute joy.

The range so far incorporates earrings and rings,

bracelets,

and pendants.

Image via Tinniegirl on etsy

I just adore every piece we've made, and hope you do too.
Hooray for crafty collaborations.
Jay xx