Posts Tagged ‘aprons’
art2go: Playing shops during Kalgoorlie Raceround!
Every girl dreams of running her own shop, right? 
The Dames’ first forray into the wonderful world of retail was a roaring success! We jumped at the chance to be part of this temporary pop-up shop, Art2Go, when invited by co-ordinator Tina Bryce from Mallee Girl. The shop made itself at home on Hannan St, and though open only for 13 days during the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Raceround, the shop averaged over 100 visitors a day and made over $10,000 in takings overall!! An amazing effort by all the talented artists involved and especially by the vibrant miss Tina, such an exuberant and positive lady with the most infectious giggle!
As our first real test of the market, we were thrilled that our fashion accessories were received so well, with Carly’s stunning aprons completely selling out. Also popular were the unique and modern designed fashion headpieces and blossom pins, snapped up by lovely ladies wanting something a little bit different to add to their raceday outfits. And of course, what better reason for the Dames to get all gussied up than the Spring Racing Carnival!?
Carly’s deeply fabulous frou-frou aprons were a hit and completely sold out!
More hot sellers: divine headpieces by Paula (Modeled here by fabulous dame and hairdressing doyenne, Vikki Brown!) and beautiful blossom pins by Carly, made with silk, organza, satin, tulle and swarovski crystals
The beautiful chaos of creation! Designing custom headpiece “Sunshine Pine”.
Left; Paula does her little turn on the catwalk- competing in Fashions on the Field on Ladies Day! Right; posing for a pic at the crooked blue house- block felted skull cap by Studio Olive, Dress by Chitra’s Closet and shoes from Indulge Clothing.
Here we are indulging in a hard-earned pink champagne at Kalgoorlie Cup during the Raceround. How CUTE does Carly look in her nautical-inspired ensemble!? Paula wearing pillbox hat by Bird Millinery, and blue Silk Rose pin by Studio Olive. Carly wearing “Riviera Girl” straw hat by Gwendoline Grace & Gatsby.
Apron Addiction
So I mentioned before that I am an apron addict. My collection of aprons both vintage and new continues to grow, I think I have close to 20 now, but hey, you can never have too many aprons in my opinion. It’s nice to be able to select an apron to suit my mood, the outfit I am wearing and the task at hand. I might chose a nice sturdy, floral full apron for gardening or perhaps a spotty ruffley half apron for cleaning. If baking up a storm then a vintage inspired frilly sensation is a must.
So yes, I can’t resist a pretty apron. I can’t resist a pretty apron pattern either. The dazzling array of vintage apron patterns available on the internet never ceases to amaze me. So far I have managed to limit myself to adding just a few to my apron pattern collection. We will see how long that lasts eh?
A couple of my lovely vintage apron patterns.
Meet the Artists- “Food for Thought” Exhibition
We thought this blackboard art by the lovely Tina Bryce at the entry of the gallery was a very clever way to set the relaxed tone of the exhibition and welcome our visitors!
Carly and I celebrated Easter Sunday by spending the afternoon at the Goldfields Arts Centre Gallery for a “Meet the Artists” event. Although we only had 9 visitors in total (including 3 of Carly’s family members!), it was a great chance to catch up on some projects – Carly spent the afternoon making some adorable Yo-Yo’s (also known as Suffolk Puffs) and I was able to update our blog with lovely photos of our finished pieces!
The actual opening night was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all, with many works being sold including prints by the Dames! Printed on Fine Art Archival Paper, the prints will soon be available for purchase in our Etsy shop, or of course you can drop in to the Goldfields Arts Centre on Cheetham Street Kalgoorlie to purchase your favourite print.
Carly presents her deeply fabulous “Boiled Cabbage Apron”… I would happily wear it to an elegant night on the town!
A bump on a log catching up with some blogging!
The Two Crafty Dames dominated these nooks in the Goldfields Arts Centre Gallery
Carly’s frilly, frivolous and all round fabulous aprons;
“Not so practical Pinny” 2010 and “Boiled Cabbage Apron” 2010
Various Fabrics Dyed with Red Cabbage, Tea and Onion Skins
Detail of the lovely “Not so practical Pinny” by Carly Ennor 2010
“Let them Eat Cake” necklace by Paula Fletcher 2010
Ribbons, Silk, Velvet, Crystal Pearls, Brass, Ostrich Plume
Detail of “Let them Eat Cake” – locket features actual portrait of a young Marie Antoinette
Onions and cabbage and tea, oh my!
I’m an apron addict. I love to wear aprons, collect aprons, create aprons and give aprons as presents. I LOVE aprons!! So of course, when I was invited to be part of the Food for Thought exhibition, I had my heart set on making aprons. After much pondering on how I would interpret the theme I thought it would be fun to use fabric dyed with food stuffs to construct the Aprons with (and using natural dyes also appealed to my inner eco-warrior). As I only had my childhood experiences of tie dyeing to go on I thought it best to seek help from the almighty internet. I came across this nifty little tutorial which I found really helpful: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-own-natural-dye-etsy-labs-245914/
Red cabbage, black tea, chamomile tea and brown onion skins were used as the dye stuffs – the photos above are red cabbage.
Silk, Muslin and tulle drying on a makeshift clothesline (the shower curtain rail)
Planning the apron using the silk, tulle and muslin dyed with the Red Cabbage
More playing and faffinating with the design
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