Christmas market!

Thanks to Lucy from Clay & Clasp for doing the artwork for our very puggy Christmas market! We love it!

Our last market for the year is on Sunday 8th December from 11 – 5 at the State Theatre Centre. Come along and get all your Christmas shopping done at once, at the same time as supporting local craftspeople! We will also be having some pretty special gift wrapping available by Kelsie White - you won't have to do a thing! At the end of your visit, you'll be able to sit back and pat yourself on the back while licking a Delish ice pop and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Some stallholders will have EFTpos facilities, but to make sure you don't miss out on that one-of-a-kind piece, bring plenty of cash!

Our talented stallholders are:

A Story Of

aprilmay

Arty Abi Creative Crafts

B&D Art

Baba-dee Productions

Baby Cake Creations

Beverley Edge Illustrations

Bloomers Gifts

Buried Treasure

Ce Ce's Cakes

Charlie and James

Clay & Clasp

Convict Bags & Accessories

Daniel(ink.)

Delight Society

Delish Ice Pops

Equivocal

Fremantle Port Candleworks

French Attic Design

Girls For Girls

Glass Gardens

Grim and Proper Designs

Harper Loves...

Hitched Candle Company

Itty Bitty Curios

JoBede

joila designs

Katherine Jago

Kelsey Reid

Kjerstin Bjelland

La Boheme

La La Lucille

Little Alannah May

Little L

Lovely Liberty

MADE 4 YOU

Magpie House

Marina's Ambrosia

Melissa Kitson

Micalu Tangled Fork Designs

MISCII

Mocking Bird Glass

Moonlight Harvest

moss & twig

Ms. Muffin limited

One Happy Leaf

Pedler Kids

Perryman Shirts

Polyester Galaxy

Purple Blossoms

Quirkybitz

S&R Gifts

Sally Ridge

Samantha Hughes Designs

Simonette

Tall Rabbit

the bunny

The Giftbootique

the ginger gypsy

The Hello Bureau

The Little Green Project

The Wackywardrobe

Truly Treasure

Tyto

violetclothing

When Adam met Eve

White Square

Windermere Designs

Up Late In Mt Hawthorn

On Friday 6th December, it's your chance to shop til you drop and experience the food, fashion, music and art of Mt Hawthorn. Watch as every store and restaurant comes alive with one night only offers, in-house parties and exclusive shopper entertainment. The party continues on the footpath and alleyways with pop up exhibitions, art installations, gourmet treats and guerilla performances. For lovers of fashion, you will be treated to live runway shows, mini makeovers, personal styling and more shopping than you can poke a coathanger at! When you have conquered the street, Axford Park on the corner of Oxford and Scarborough Beach Rd is where it's at with a pop up bar, international street food and live music rocking your socks from 4pm - 9pm.

Joondalup Fesitval Market Stallholder Expression of Interest

The Joondalup Festival is back in 2014! There will be two massive market days attracting over 40,000 attendees across the weekend. If you are a stallholder who can bring quality products such as gourmet food, fashion, jewellery, design, arts, crafts, home-wares or gift-wares to the Joondalup Festival Markets then they want to hear from you.

The Joondalup Festival will be held in Central Park, Joondalup City Centre on the following dates:

• Saturday 29 March 2014, 2.00pm – 10.00pm
• Sunday 30 March 2014, 2.00pm – 9.00pm

Complete the online expression of interest form in order to apply to be a stallholder at the Festival. Applications close Friday 20 December 2013.

If you have any queries please contact Tara Deans, Events Officer at City of Joondalup on 9400 4926 or email: Tara.Deans@joondalup.wa.gov.au

25under25 Art Exhibition

Applications are now open for the City of Fremantle's annual 25under25 Art Exhibition! If you're a creative young thing between the age of 12 and 25 you're invited to submit an application to take part in the next 25under25 exhibition, happening in April 2014.

The 25 under 25 Art Exhibition is held during National Youth Week each year at the Moore’s Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle. Young West Australians are encouraged to submit artwork of any medium for the chance to be amongst 25 emerging artists selected to exhibit.

This event is an excellent opportunity for young artists to gain exposure and experience in exhibiting artwork. A series of workshops led by a variety of established artists and industry professionals will also be held in the lead up to the event, offering young artists the opportunity to learn about presenting work for exhibition, submitting exhibition proposals, grant applications and more.

Applications close on 21st February 2014. The exhibition opening night and award presentation will be held on Friday 4th April 2014, with the exhibition continuing until the 13th of April, 2014.

For more information and to apply, go to: http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/communityservices/Youth_projects/25under25_art_exhibition/

Or email queries to: ashleighw@fremantle.wa.gov.au

Do you have an Etsy or Madeit shop?

Do you have an Etsy or Madeit shop? If you don’t have one, and you want one, then what’s stopping you? There’s no time like the present to start making your dreams a reality.

Cross Stitch Jewellery Blank - rabbit shape by osmosis on Etsy

Lots of our Made on the Left blog readers are big handmade fans that dream about selling their own designs but haven’t fully committed to taking that step of opening an online shop and filling it with what they make. So why not? What are you waiting for? Turning your craft into a thriving business is really hard work but opening an online shop and selling what you make on there is a simple step that doesn’t require masses of time and dedication.

You can just start with listing one item.

Don’t keep your amazing designs hidden from view. Get out there and show everyone what you can do to the rest of the world. Once you start you’ll see that you really can do it. Start small but dream big.

Tall Rabbit panda brooch on Etsy

And it doesn’t take much time either. Just a commitment of 15 minutes a day will get you slowly but steadily to a fantastic looking shop full of products you have made with your own two hands. The feeling of satisfaction and joy it will give you is indescribable.

Some Etsy and Madeit sellers have been able to quit their day jobs and work from home doing what they love the most. Others take it easy and sell what they make as a hobby, using the profits from each sale to buy more materials. It’s the perfect hobby, one that pays for itself.

It doesn’t matter where you want to end up, now is the time to start it. Take action. Dream big and take those small steps to a creatively satisfying lifestyle.

Head over to Etsy or Madeit today and open that account.

Jacquie Hughes is on the Made on the Left committee and is the founder of delightsociety.com

Spotlight: Kelsie White

Gift wrapping at its finest

Kelsie is a newcomer on the block and my-my are we excited to tell you about her! She is a young creative who is adding a bit of fun and a bucket of love to wrapping anything and everything! Kelsie uses paper-based products that are mostly recycled materials to jazz up any little goodies you might have. You can see her wrapping up at our next MOTL event!

How would you describe K Gets Organised?

K Gets Organised is a paper based organisation goodie store. It’s for everyone out there that can’t find the perfect diary, to-do list and the most on-trend paper goods in Perth. It’s also in large about collaboration and supporting other WA creatives around me.

What do you use as material for your products?

It’s all about paper for me! I like to bring it back to the basics and strip back the toxics. I try to use recycled materials wherever I can and I see texture as being integral to what I do. Kraft paper in particular has such a unique feeling to it. Similarly, I like to include wood in products and the grain of blackboard paint when it’s dry.

Is there anything in particular that inspired you to create K Gets Organised?

Well, I opened the Facebook account while I was on a one-week study break in the middle of my last semester of my undergraduate degree. I had just moved out into my first house and had set up my first studio desk. The name came to me after trying to find the perfect to do list (which is still a pretty unsuccessful search!). I have always loved paper goods and the first product I ever sold was a line of little quote cards for people to use as motivation. K Gets Organised has always been about finding freedom and reaching goals through being organised by paper and that’s what inspires me every day.

Do you prefer to wrap things in a messy or a neat fashion?

Always crisp and neat in a very minimalist style – there is nothing better than the perfect crease along the edge of a present or the perfect fold at either end. I’m a complete perfectionist when it comes to wrap. The messy part comes in getting creative with personalization for me – creating a beautiful card or a gift tag is where the mess and the fun is had!

How do you think that your paper products will stand out against other wrapping products sold in larger stores?

Like everything at Made on the Left, instead of my product coming from somewhere, changing hands many times and being served to you from a shelf; I can see you, speak to you and understand your personal needs. My products are made with my hands allowing for so much more, including personal touches, tweaking products and designs and even just simply conversation!

Do you have a favourite design that you're keeping all to yourself?

I have a little something special for the first 10 customers at my market stall – they’ll get an incredible gift-wrap service that will be gorgeous and very Christmas. If there is anyone out there that wants to have that experience, they’ll have to get in nice and early!

Have you appeared in markets before?

I’m 21 and I started KGO earlier this year (May) and have been doing product design, marketing, sales and everything in between since then leaving little time for me to organise a stall – but Made on the Left has made this process so easy and exciting for me for their Christmas market. This will be my first market (but certainly not the first market I’ve attended!!).

Will you be opening up a store in the future?

I’ve been in contact with some beautiful retailers in Perth and I’m hoping to have my products in stores very, very soon. I’m always looking for new opportunities though – there are so many gorgeous stores in Perth I day dream about having KGO sitting proudly in their stores!

Do you feel that your brand represents you as a person?

I am the K of K Gets Organised, so of course my brand represents me and people like me – people that want value for money, people whom desire beautiful as well as on-trend paper goods and people that want to speak to the person creating their goods with a personal touch.

Where do you see your brand in 5 years?

I see KGO sitting proudly on the shelf, wall, on the desk and in the hearts of a lot more beautiful people around WA. I’m incredibly excited and honoured to see where this journey is going to take me.

www.facebook.com/KGetsOrganised

Spotlight: Enid Twiglet

beautiful bird + creative soul

We got a chance to catch up with the ever so lovely crew over at Enid Twiglet, and asked a few bits and bobs about the work that goes on behind bird-filled doors. Enid Twiglet creates a lot of hand-embroided work, as well as some beautiful laser cut pieces! If you like all things quirky, botanical and possibly a feather or two in your tea then Enid Twiglet is for you!

Describe Enid Twiglet in three words

Handmade. Unique. Quirky.

You say you hand embroider a lot of your work. How long does it take for you to finish a piece?

The really small pieces take about 1 - 2 hours and the larger embroideries can take anywhere up to 40 hours.

What is your biggest inspiration?

I am a self confessed “bird lady” and am constantly inspired by anything to do with ornithology, (so much so I am thinking of studying it next year!).  We live with three very entertaining birds: Nigel the budgie and Colin and Barney who are cockatiels. We also have three rare breed chickens who are great fun to hang out with.

Colin is my constant companion, and spends most of his time perched on my shoulder and he enjoys unpicking my stitches as I embroider. I also love dusty old books and forgotten things found in other people’s trash and op-shops.  I am drawn to unusual subject matter such as human anatomy and most recently my hand embroidered insect collection.  I enjoy creating things that may not conventionally be seen as beautiful or appealing!

What kind of process does your work go through to become a tangible product?

I spend some time researching the subject matter then do up a quick pen drawing in my sketch book. From there I either trace or re-draw the outline onto fabric using a fabric pen.  My hand embroideries are free hand stitched. I normally have a pretty good idea of how I want something to look in my head and just take it from there. I have never used a pattern for my work and this makes every piece completely unique.  

Once the embroidery is finished I photograph it and then Mr Twiglet takes over to produce our laser engraved pieces. We have a laser cutting business as well as Enid Twiglet which means we have creative control over all of our creations and nothing has to be outsourced.

Is there a favourite product of yours?

Oh gosh this is hard! I get very attached to all of the larger hand embroideries purely because I spend so much time with them.  If I am stitching an animal or bird I create little personalities for them and the anatomical work I stitched last year for my exhibition was so personal and I definitely have some trouble letting those pieces go to new homes.  Right now I would have to say Mr Octopus. Purely because he challenged me right from the first stitch. Tentacles are hard! I am so attached to him I have decided to keep him for myself. 

If you had an infinite amount of money to put towards EnidTwiglet, how would you use it?

I would love a separate work space that isn't in our home. A solid brick and mortar studio space with a little retail outlet would be awesome. Oh, and I would love an assistant who would do my paper work for me! 
Mr Twiglet would love a huge studio where he could spend all his time designing, making and laser cutting.  We would both love to quit our day jobs and focus purely on working for ourselves. We are slowly making it happen!

What do you feel attracts customers to your products?

I think people enjoy the story of how our products are created. We make absolutely everything ourselves (including our labels) and I think our customers enjoy hearing about the processes involved. Plus the fact we are both ginger seems to make people laugh!

Have you ever thought of tackling a sewing machine and expanding your range?

I would like to learn how to use a sewing machine so I can make my own clothes but I am not interested in learning machine embroidery. I have seen some amazing embroidery work done on sewing machines but I get so much pleasure from working with just a needle, thread and my hands I don't think I would ever want to change that. 

What are your products made out of?

The embroideries are just sewing thread stitched onto cotton either presented in an embroidery hoop, laser cut pendant/brooch frames or glass bottles. We laser engrave my embroidered images onto glassware, wood, leather and acrylic.

If our readers mention this article can they receive 10% off at the upcoming MOTL market?

Yes of course!

http://www.enidtwiglet.com/

Denmark Arts Markets

The Denmark Arts Markets were established in 1981 and are now a ‘must do’ event in the Great Southern that attracts over 12,000 visitors each year.

They have 100 stall spaces and a stage that provide an opportunity for craftspeople and creatives as well as performers to showcase their wares in a vibrant village atmosphere, on the banks of the Denmark River. There is also opportunity for stall holders who offer fresh produce, food and beverage.

This coming season there will be five markets - all dates fall on a Saturday 10am – 4pm:

• Saturday 14th December 2013
• Saturday 4th January 2014
• Saturday 25th January 2014
• Saturday 1st March 2014
• Saturday 19th April (Easter) 2014

For stallholder information, please visit their website: http://www.denmarkarts.com.au/stallholderinfo

Please note that this is essentially a 'Craft Market' so imported jewellery, plastic novelties, retail clothing and goods that are mass produced are not permitted.

5 Things All Crafters Need On Their Website Home Page

Having your own website is a great way to tell your brand story in as much or as little detail as you like. It gives you the opportunity to showcase your products however you like and is also a great place for you to connect with buyers and direct them to whatever information they need. 

It’s also is a great place to sell, free from listing charges and competition. But what if you have your products for sale on your website but they’re not selling as well as you’d like? Here are 5 simple things to include on your home page to make sure you really are being found by customers and directing them to where they need to go to make a purchase.

1. A link to your shop 

Sounds obvious but is sometimes forgotten. Make sure the link is easy to see and completely obvious. If it’s not in your header then make sure you put it there asap. Also add another link somewhere else on the page such as a clickable image or in any text.

And if you have any images or text of a product make sure that links to the product in the shop so a customer can easily find it and buy it.

If you offer wholesale and sell to retail outlets don’t forget to include really easy-to-find links to both those sections on your homepage. Don’t make wholesale customers search for your wholesale page or expect shoppers to know you have products in shops if it’s not obvious to them.

Make it super obvious. 

2. At least one paragraph of text on your page that includes several keywords.

This should be in text, not within an image or in Flash/PDF. The text is there for the benefit of Google so it can place you in search queries so make sure there are plenty of references to your keywords. Keywords are words customers use when searching for your products. They are sometimes very obvious (your name, what you sell) and sometimes a little less easy to think of (a description or feeling of your brand). Below is the text you can find on my website homepage. All keywords I used have been bolded to make them easy for you to see. 

Delight Society is an artisan soap company which stays very close to the simply natural while being a long walk and two bus trips from the frankly artificial. Using only natural ingredients Delight Society produces bath and body products which are free from Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Synthetics, Parabens and Palm Oil. Hand crafted in Western Australia each product is carefully prepared to be gentle and nourishing on your skin such as handmade soaps, decadent body scrubs, skin loving body oils and kid friendly bubble baths. Delight Society also sells to wholesale clients; providing handmade products of high quality to companies who are looking for unique and luxurious items.

Buy Delight Society products straight from the source or from these retailers. 

These aren’t my only keywords throughout the website but they the major ones for what I sell. The first step is to make a list of keywords that shoppers will use when searching for products that you sell. Then build a paragraph around those keywords and add it to your home page. Include inbound links when necessary.

3. Social media links 

This encourages customer interaction and by making it easy for customers to “Like” your Facebook page they will be more likely to do so. Put them in an easy-to-see spot, such as the header, footer, a side bar or wherever they will be easily seen.

4. Constant new content 

By constantly changing some information on your homepage you become increasingly attractive to search engines. Content is king when it comes to being found on the internet so make sure your changes are positive and contain your keywords. The easiest way to do this is to have a blog/Facebook/Twitter feed directly on your home page. Then every time you update your social media it immediately updates on your homepage. Wordpress and other open source platforms have widgets for this but if your website was made by a professional developer then it will not be difficult for them to add this feature in.

5. Amazing photography 

This can’t be emphasised enough. My photography skills are really not as good as I’d like them to be so I stick to simple product shots and am slowly building up a collection of “behind the scenes/lifestyle” shots that I can add in as I go.

If you don’t have a lot of great photographs, start with your very best images and put only them on your home page. Keep updating them as you go, this is also great for SEO. Don’t put any poor quality photos on your home page...ever.

Also name and tag your images correctly. This increases you being found in searches.

These five additions to your home page will help increase traffic and get sellers exactly where you want them...at your website. 

Jacquie Hughes is on the Made on the Left committee and is the founder of  delightsociety.com

Christmas Gift Market @ Subi Farmers Market

Expressions of Interest are now open for this year's Fair Trade Christmas Gift Market at Subi Farmers Market. The market will take place on Saturday the 7th of December from 8.00am - 12.00pm.

There are very limited places available and expressions of interest close on Friday the 18th of October 2013. Successful applications will be informed via email by the 25th of October 2013.

To get an application form, contact subifarmersmarket@gmail.com

Mandurah Suitcase Market applications open

Smart Street Parties are a series of four twilight events in Smart St Mall, Mandurah, from 5 – 9pm on 8th Nov, 6th Dec 2013, 17th Jan and 14th Feb 2014.

Applications are now open for the Suitcase Market. Your suitcase (any size) is your stall and sites are only $5 each! Anyone can be a stallholder and you can sell whatever you like from your suitcase but preference will be given to hand-crafted items and quality second-hand goods. Children are welcome to be stallholders; this is a great way for them to clean out their toy boxes or get creative and earn some pocket money. Apply now as sites are limited. For more information or an application form email smartstreetparties@gmail.com 

These events are presented by Community Solutions Mandurah with support from local businesses.

IGA Perth Royal Show Photography Competition

Planning on visiting the IGA Perth Royal Show this coming week?

Make sure you take your camera and enter your best show photo, for a chance to WIN $150 in-store voucher!

Submit your original photos by the 6th October: https://www.facebook.com/LeedervilleCameras/app_179923992195011

The winning image will be announced on the 7th October and showcased throughout the Leederville Camera House online network.

Stallholders wanted for OnWilliam markets

OnWilliam have a few events coming up and applications for stallholders are open now!

The Retro Rumble Markets
When: 11am - 5pm, Sunday 24th November 2013 
Where: Russell Square, Northbridge.

The inaugural Retro Rumble Free Festival is a diverse retro music and arts festival brought to us by HMS PopUp Productions which will bring Northbridge alive with the sounds of forgotten eras, in some of Northbridge’s less frequented spaces. Live music and a classic car show will compliment the massive retro ‘custom culture’ markets in Russell Square. 

See the website for the event here. 
See the Facebook event here. 



Illuminites
When: 5pm - 10pm, Friday 13th December 2013
Where: Perth Cultural Centre

OnWilliam in conjunction with MRA will again host Illuminites for the third year running. This has gained a reputation as a must visit pre Christmas market.

See the 2012 website here. 
See photos from the 2012 event here. 


Please complete the online application form by 5pm Friday 27 September if you would like to participate: www.onwilliam.com.au/apply

MOSAIC: 24 Hours

Anyone and everyone in Western Australia is invited to set aside a couple of minutes on Saturday September 28th to capture a moment from their day on camera for MOSAIC, a unique photography project which captures 24 hours of life in Western Australia. All submitted photos will then be used to create an exhibition in Brookfield place this November.

Unlike traditional photography exhibitions, participants are able to use the tools at their disposal to capture their photo including smart phones, DSLRs, tablets and point and shoot cameras. There are no age restrictions, as long as you are in Western Australia on September 28, you are welcome to participate.

Here's how to get involved:

REGISTER
August 27 - September 27
Register your interest in the project. You can opt in to receive a free text message reminder about the photo day. Register here. 

CAPTURE
September 28
Capture a highlight from your day on your camera, smart phone, tablet or any other tool at your disposal. Use the hashtag #mosaicprojectwa to share your photo through social media.

SUBMIT
September 28 - October 4 
Submit your image via our website or email your photo to hello@propel.org.au with your name and contact details. Check out the FAQ Sheet for troubleshooting advice and more information about what you can send in.

VISIT 
November 4 - 15
Visit your image in the exhibition at the Brookfield Place Lobby.

City of South Perth Fiesta 2014

The City of South Perth is currently seeking an Expression of Interest from community groups, businesses, local organisations, visual artists, performance artists and theatre groups who would like to be part of the City of South Perth FIESTA from 8 March – 22 March 2014.

The City of South Perth’s FIESTA is an annual festival held over three weeks in March each year attracting up to 30,000 people. FIESTA’s 19 year tradition is cemented in the community as an iconic feature of the area. Since its inception in 1994 this much loved festival has continued to grow in notoriety each year and now enjoys a solid reputation as one of the longest run local government festivals in WA. In March 2014, this premier community festival will celebrate its 20th year anniversary and will incorporate a theme to celebrate the momentous occasion - “Explosion of Colour – Celebrating 20 years of Fiesta in 2014”.

The City is seeking events and activities that are unique, inclusive, well planned and best support the Fiesta 2014 theme to be incorporated into the festival program. Examples of the sort of events and activities include; art exhibitions, theatre performances, fairs, sporting competitions (that incorporate the theme), lawn bowls and croquet evenings, children’s storytelling, place activation (i.e. the park(ing) day campaign), workshops, cooking classes, trails or tours and/or seminars. 

Expression of Interest forms are to be returned to the City of South Perth by Tuesday 1st October 2013. If you have any accompanying photographs, website links or examples of the type of event/activity you would like to host, please submit these as part of your expression.

Queries

Please contact the Arts and Events officer on:

Email: events@southperth.wa.gov.au

Phone: (08) 9474 0707

EOI’s and submissions
Email: events@southperth.wa.gov.au
Deliver/Post: FIESTA EOI’s
                  Civic Centre, CnrSandgate St & South Terrace, 
                  South Perth, WA, 6151

Illustrators wanted

Urban Walkabout has an excellent opportunity for a freelance illustrator to create artworks for their publications.

Urban Walkabout is a well established and growing publishing business that promotes outstanding labels and independent retailers, galleries, cafes and restaurants in urban villages using maps through print publications, web and mobile technologies. The business’ core focus is fashion, design, art, food and lifestyle.



They are looking for:

• Freelance artists and illustrators for the creation of artworks for the Urban Walkabout Perth Guide covers
• Minimum 4 original artworks created for the Perth guide series, to be developed with the Director.
• Artworks to be created and supplied according to a production schedule in advance of publication.

Please send through expressions of interest with a resume and sample of your work to Katrina Adams - opportunities@urbanwalkabout.com.