For as long as i can remember I have been making things, I have 4 siblings, all but one is crafty, I've always said its genetic and we are following in Mums footsteps ! Mum over the years had many hobbies and interest in crafts, painting, drawing, pottery, knitting, crocheting, macrame, sewing and needlework.
As children we lived quite isolated, my father was a lighthouse keeper at Cape Leveque, north east of Broome, we were taught school at home by Mum and Dad on School of the Air or by correspondence Distance Education, our lessons were flown in in a tiny plane every 2 weeks along side our mail, food and supplies. In later years my brother and I would ride a 3 wheeler motorbike to and from school at One Arm Point. After 8 years at Leveque we moved to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse near Dunsborough.
Ive dabbled in painting, drawing, knitting, jewellery, and paper crafts over the years, but making button bouquets is definately the most enjoyable and rewarding, particularly since ive started making wedding bouquets. I take great pride in my work, every order I take is very special and receives acute attention to detail, from start to finish. I like to think of my bouquets a heirlooms that can be handed down from mother to daughter.
To make a bouquet I use hundreds and hundreds of buttons, silk and satin flowers, diamonte embellishments, old pieces of jewellery, wire, ribbon and other things that ive collected over time.
I buy some of my buttons from a wholesaler, just to keep up the quantity that i need and also to keep prices sensible, I also buy buttons from Ebay, Etsy or anywhere else can find them, I love to shop online for embellishments, trims, ribbons, feathers, crystals, brooches or anything with a bit of sparkle, I'm a bit of a bower bird, love anything with bling and diamontes.
Some bouquets can take days to make, others can take hours. I love the process of selecting buttons and goodies to embellish the bouquet, quite often I work on the floor in front of the television, normally late at night when everyone else is asleep. Having 2 children can make it very hard to keep to a schedule, and of course with weddings and brides there are schedules to keep and every bride wants their bouquet to arrive well before the wedding, there are some days when I just cant get anything done, so working at night has become the norm to me.
My most proudest crafting experience ? Exhibiting a piece at the Art Gallery of Western Australia for Art in Bloom 2008. Very surreal and rewarding to see something I have made in an art gallery !
Thanks to the ladies at Made on the Left for having me as a guest blogger, I will return soon with another post about some of my brides and other things that interest me.
Photos below show my most favourite bouquets...
"Vintage Countryside Chic Bouquet"
"Deluxe Elegance Bouquet"
"The Time Keeper Steampunk Bouquet"
"The Summer Wedding Package"
My blog... http://lillybuds.blogspot.com/My website... www.lillybuds.com
My Etsy Shop... www.letters4lilly.etsy.com
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