Sailor Mouth Soaps

Greetings! My name is Aliya and I run a business called Sailor Mouth Soaps. My motto is “Awesome Soaps, No Sh*t!” so you can see where the “sailor mouth” part comes in, tehe.

I’ve been a crafter for many years. I’ve made everything from clay sculptures to destructible bird toys! My all time favorite medium is soap. I love the art vs. function aspect of the soaps that I create. My obsessions and tastes vary to many different areas so I create everything from kitschy-cute soaps, to spooky horror soaps and even replica food. I’ve got a real sweet tooth so cupcakes, donuts and macaroons feature quite heavily.

My products are strictly vegan and cruelty free which means no animal derived ingredients, no animal tested ingredients and of course, no animal testing on the final product. I'm also fully certified with Choose Cruelty Free (CCF) & PETA, which makes me very proud.

Although Sailor Mouth Soaps isn’t my full time job, I treat it like it is. I have a purpose built soap studio with a separate storage and shipping area. Oh the blessings of a large house! I can (and do) spend hours upon hours whipping up new soapy treats, testing new formulas and generally tweaking every aspect of the design and presentation so that my customers receive only the best quality (and they deserve it!).

In my spare time, I am a bit of a TV series junkie (comedy, drama, crime and supernatural shows are my favorite genres) but I’m also a bookworm and make the most of my Kindle! I have two adorable dogs that love to go on long walks and when I get the chance, I adore bush walking.

Well that’s about it for me, I hope to see you in my hand-made store soon!

Frankenstein's Fabrics

 

 

My name is Marni and for the last 7 years or so I have wanted to open and run my own craft shop - specifically patchwork and quilting supplies as that is my main hobby (among many!)

 

Frankenstein's Fabrics is that dream come true. With the support of my family and friends the shop opened a little over 3 months ago. Dad and I spent a few weeks prior to that building, painting and designing the fitout for the shop. 

 I have been involved in many different aspects of the textile industry from a very young age and in fact learnt to walk in my dad's factory (OH&S wasn't a big deal in the 80s). Dad is an upholsterer and I've been around him and his work my whole life. At school I always preferred the artistic and creative subjects and this continued right up until my HSC. I did textiles, drama and visual arts as well as a TAFE course on perspective drawing and colour which I feel has given me excellent basic knowledge that has made my life as a quilter a lot easier. Once I finished school I ended up working at Lincraft for a while in their furnishings department before moving on to work at Craft Depot at Pennant Hills - working there with such a great group of women (it was like having a dozen extra mums - they always were looking out for me) made me see the pure enjoyment of patchwork and quilting. That job started me on a slippery slope to fabric obsession that has resulted in me open Frankenstein's. From my job at Craft Depot I moved to working for Express Publications - as the assistant for Australian Patchwork & Quilting Magazine. The few years experience I gained from 'the other side' of the craft industry made me realise how much I was meant to be in this profession. Quilting not only gives me great pleasure and satisfaction but brings a lot of joy to the people around me. The look on someone's face when I've given them a quilt I've made not only makes me happy but makes them feel good 
- that I have taken the time to make them such a gift.

I opened Frankenstein's with the intention of making it a more social and interactive patchwork shop - I want it to be the social aspect as well as the supplies that keep bringing people back time and time again. So to do that I am planning special guest speakers, open days, show and tells and airings of the quilts. There are classes as well - starting out with the basics to get people going and progressively adding more intermediate and advanced classes as we go along. Classes are listed on the website under the Classes tab and are updated regularly as more classes and dates become available.

I also want my customers to see that I am not the average quilter - I am quirky, odd and non-conforming. I appreciate the work and execution of techniques in the quilts of the past, and I envy those who continue to create stunning quilts by hand - but I am not that kind of quilter. I love machine work - piecing, appliqué and quilting. I love brights and fun kids prints. I collect Halloween fabrics and knick knacks and I am not shy about the things I do like. The name of the shop came about for 3 reasons: 

1. My surname is Franks

2. I love Halloween

3. I love the story of Frankenstein's Monster - he was patchworked together by the Doctor from various body parts, much like I patchwork a quilt together from various fabrics.

People ask me about the name - especially why I didn't call it something like other patchwork stores. My answer is simple - I am not like other patchwork store owners, I couldn't name the shop something floral or cottagey or using a pun and live with myself. The name Frankenstein's encompasses my style, my likes and I am being brutally honest with my customers about that. I will not lie to them about myself just to make a sale - that is not the way to do business. Plus its all a bit of fun. :)

There are lots of things going on in the shop in 2012 and I invite you all to become a Frankensteiner - whether online following me on Facebook or the blog or whether you come in to see me in store. I hope to see you there.

 

www.frankensteinsfabrics.com

www.hand-made.com.au/FrankensteinsFabrics

www.etsy.com/shop/FrankensteinsFabrics

frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com

Friday Feature with Rabosi

Unique Clothing for little girls & little girls at heart

Quality Clothing - handcrafted with love by Eva Hosie

 

Rabosi Design originally started when I was living in Far North Queensland a few years ago. At the time my clothing designs were based around free and easy summer styles with bold colours and original patterns. When I became a mother of two, my business went on hold for a few years as I focused on family life. Now that I have returned to my lifelong creative passion of designing and making beautiful clothes, my styles and designs focus on limited edition, good quality, fun and funky skirts and dresses for little girls and little girls at heart. Rabosi Designs are handcrafted in my studio in Mirboo North. 

I choose my fabrics with an emphasis on good quality cotton, vibrant colours and designs, and I love to use Australian fabric designers when I’m able. New fabrics are arriving weekly giving the constant wonderful challenge of what colour to put with what fabric to create a truly unique garment. 

 

I am constantly updating my range and have this year introduced bright colourful bottle coolers and headbands and I am currently  designing complete outfits, pinafore /skirt, headband/sun hat with a matching bag for littlies, also Ladies headbands, skirts and casual pants.

 

An exciting development is my limited range of boys clothing which will be available in the coming months.

 

Rabosi Design is currently available at selected specialty markets around Gippsland, Artzillery, 23 Lyon St Leongatha, The Duck Hutt in Meeniyan or can be found online at here

Visit our website at www.rabosi.com.au

or facebook here 

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Chlothes Line

Chlothes Line is handmade Babies and kids clothes. The name comes from my inspiration Chloe my 1 year old girl. After having her I revamped my interest in sewing and started creating, finding the shops had all the same commercial 'Pink' clothes. I create my own patterns which allows me to custom make for any size. I love when I get a custom order as its individual and special. I have been sewing for 16 years and loving winding the clock back with some vintage inspired styles. All styles are tried and tested by Aidan (my 3.5yr old rough and tumble boy) and Chloe (my little girl who is a little dare devil).

Chlothes Line is only a few months old and is ever growing as more orders come in and inspiration comes to me, For example, I had been keeping all of my scraps and found the perfect reason to create some hootie owls and giraffe softies for the hand-made scrap and off-cut Challenge which I will be loading to hand-made.com this week.

Please look at my hand-made.com.au shop and well as become a follower on Facebook www.facebook.com/Chlothesline