Enoch and Plonk

Hi, I’m Nicola, a stay at home mum to Finn 7 and Ella 4. After posting things I was making on my personal facebook page and it was suggested, by friends and family, that I could sell them on-line. Up until then I was making and creating for my kids and myself. I had quit teaching art and design after having Finn and had been in a bit of creative coma since his birth. As most of you mums will know once your little one knows you are good at making stuff you have an endless list of stuff he/she wants, cakes, cookies, rice bubble thingys etc. For me I spent most of the time with glue gun in hand making a bus, train or even a hostess trolley out of cardboard boxes.

Enoch and Plonk started in November 2010 creating one-of-a-kind hand crafted appliquéd tees for kids. Each one is unique in as much as once the design was used it was not be used again. This allows customers to purchase a piece of artwork which they can be sure no one else will have. I spend a great deal of time working on each design and create the appliqué with great attention to detail. Detailing is my thing....I had once spent hours making a bus out of cardboard for Finn with upholstered seating on two decks!

Of course anyone who is creative likes to experiment, challenge themselves and develop new ideas and so has Enoch and Plonk. I have just started making quirky, fun dresses created using new plain and printed tees/stretch tops, which I repurpose, upcycle and redo. In true Enoch and Plonk fashion each is unique....

Enoch and Plonk has a business page on facebook, a blog and shop and ‘bigcartel’. I would love you to visit .

For Minature People

Most people dream of a sea-change – life at a slower pace and enjoying the finer things in life. After working long and gruelling hours in the hospitality industry for over 10 years, my partner and I packed up our busy lives, our menagerie of pets and left Sydney behind for the sun-caressed beaches of Coffs Harbour.

Whilst it was a dramatic life change, I was not prepared for the vast amounts of spare time I had reclaimed. I had never considered myself a creative person – I don’t draw, I don’t play an instrument

t and I certainly did not sew. Despite this, I found myself coming up with ideas that I am certain I had considered previously, but I had just never followed them through during my old life which was time-poor but financially secure. We’ve all done it – wandered through market stalls, looked at lovely creations and pondered how we would do it differently… or how we would change it slightly to be more personalised for someone special, and yet never actually done anything about it.

So when I was trying to decide on the perfect gift for one of my favourite Miniature People, I had my heart set on buying this particular 2 year old M.P a cute beanbag. Whenever he visited our house he loved slouching in our beanbag so I thought it would be a fantastic surprise for him! Unfortunately, the range of beanbags available were cheaply made and ridiculously expensive, so I set forth for the nearest Spotlight with renewed vigour for home craft – I was going to make it myself! My first creation was an electric blue corduroy beanbag which I personalised with an appliquéd bear and his name. Needless to say, I was most definitely the most popular gift-giver at the birthday party!

After my inaugural sewing success, I became a little more ambitious with my sewing and creative skills. A good friend was expecting a new Miniature Person in her life, and the baby shower was approaching quickly. In my mind, I had decided that I wanted to buy a gorgeous plush toy that would be a favourite friend for many years to come. Unfortunately, again, I was disappointed with the products available – they were either predictable and boring, or cheaply made, or had small parts that may have been choking hazards. Determined to create another lovingly handmade gift, I wandered through my local Spotlight until inspiration hit me – as I didn’t know whether we were expecting a boy or girl M.P I would create a wise, protective owl to sleep with them each night. It was genius – not gender specific and a great shape for cuddling.

The most remarkable discovery I have made is that once you tap into your creative side, there is no stopping it. After I made the beanbag and owl, I sketch, doodle and dream of new, unique and quirky friends for the Miniature People in our lives. I always have several projects on the go at any one time, and love to make customised friends to order… So this is how For Miniature People was born. We have a range of characters and custom made beanbags available made lovingly by myself which are perfect for any occasion. Come on over to our facebook page

to have a look or place an order.

Introducing Clo & Co

Hi, my name is Cherrie a WAHM of 4 children (3 boys & a girl) partner Tim, some fish & a dog named Bella all living in Port Stephens.(Thought I’d fill you all in with that). After having my youngest & only little girl in December 2009 & (after seeing all the Pretties available for girls) i felt I needed to express myself & also do something to help my partner out with a little extra $$.

I had been crafting for many years at home just for fun, making toy boxes for the kids to nappy cakes as gifts, painting & general crafts, Funny thing is I hadn’t sewn a button since “Who knows when” but I went out one day & bought myself my Sewing Machine & off to work I went! I enjoyed it so much, I thought why not use my talents & start a business making things I love & sure others will as well. After trial & error it became clear that it was to be done! So along came Clo&co creations.. I now create childrens clothing & Accessories, Home Décor even Accessories for us mums. My clothing range is aimed mainly for the littlies from newborn up to 6 years old. My Range consists of( Sweet Bloomers & Tees, Dresses & Capris, shorts & Onesies.) My Accessories are not only for the littlies but for Teens & Adults as well. My Accessories are fun, bright at the same time feminine & Chic. My Jewellrey & hair Accessories will make you feel special & yes Feminine.


I have a Business page on Facebook which I would love for you all to check out. Click here to visit me on facebook page. My Followers are growing on Facebook which I really appreciate, its nice to know that what I am doing is making others happy. I love seeing the Feedback from Happy customers. I have also only just recently opened a shop from my home which is open to the public Mon-Thurs 10am-12pm & 1pm-4pm.For more details you can find it in my Discussions Tab on my Facebook page.

By the way Clo&co was named after my 2 youngest littlies (Chloe & Cohen) Age 17mths & 4 years old, so if I didn’t have them I’d have no Clo&co. Love you guys xx

Welcome

A great big welcome to everyone, to the Hand-Made blog.

We have started this blog in order to strengthen our connection to the handmade community. As some of you know we are currently running a hand-made facebook page and we would love for you to join us there as well. To do so, please follow this link.

The content of our blog will predominatly be supplied by the handmade community. We will be featuring different handmade stores, products, events, spotlights, markets and so the list goes on.

****It is 100% FREE**** thats right... it will cost you zip, zero, ziltch to be featured on our blog. So how do you get on here? Well that is simple...Click on the "Contact" Tab in the menu (last item on the right) and send us an email which includes the details required for us to be able to represent you correctly - the information we need is also listed on the contact page. Dont forget a picture as well.

We are also in the process of creating a detailed list of markets throughout Australia. Im sure everyone will agree with me when I say this is no small undertaking and we have no doubt it will be a 'work in progress' for some time! So please email us if there are any markets that have been missed and help us to create a complete list of Markets Australia wide that will be of interest to you.

We hope everyone enjoys our hand-made blog just as much as we enjoy purusing everyone's wonderful handmade items... so many great things to look at, so little time to do it. :)

Enjoy
Hand-Made