Gift Guide - For the Kids

This is my first Christmas gift guide, and I will be bringing more of these to Cubed as we march on towards Christmas (not long to go now...)
For the littlies in your life - check out these wonderful sellers. Not only are they all amazing products, but all are Australian made and independently produced - and most are handmade. Let's try and keep some of our well-earned cash on our fair shores this Christmas!

For the Little Chicks...


This is Pink Wombat from WA's Two Little Banshees. It's a wonderful store with some adorable soft toys - echidnas, koalas and wombats - not to mention some truly beautiful dolls that any little girl would love to find under the Christmas tree!


Siiri, based in Sydney, makes a range of very cute, very fun accessories, including the Maritime Skull Hairclip shown above. She stocks a lot of felted hairclips, featuring skulls, strawberries and flowers, as well as a range of accessories for those of us out of our tweens. Her stuff always makes me smile!


Based in Launceston, Tasmania, is the wonderful Shazza's Knits. While Christmas is summer in the Antipodes, her adorable Toddler's Flapper Hat is so adorable - too hard to resist! (Or perhaps a perfect gift for any Northern Hemisphere kids you may be needing to buy for?)



Yes, it's another beanie, but who can possibly resist the idea of dressing your little one as a Delicious Cupcake? Melbourne's Sheeps' Clothing stock some great head wear for littlies (and not so littlies) and are well worth checking out.


So I could go on forever, but it's time to check out what's around for little boys...


First to my attention was Sydney's aramaa, whose I Love Ma t-shirt too cool for pre-school. She uses a lot of Japanese fabrics in her work and I. Just. Love. It. All.



misspopsi is another Sydney-based store that stocks some really great play outfits/jim jams for even the most rambunctious angel. This pair of Blue Swirls caught my eye, (as did her girl's PJs).



And what little bloke doesn't love Robots? I've already said how much I love Jellibat's creations, and this funky robot is just one more reason why!




Happy shopping, and as I mentioned, please feel free to bring me suggestions as to which independent Australian crafters and artisans are doing fabulous things.

B

Jelly Gem...

So I've come across this wicked Australian seller on Etsy. Jellibat hails from Melbourne and has a really delightful range of unique, handmade toys with a bit of a dark twist...

I personally love this Frankenstein, as well as Bobo the Love Monkey.

I am constantly amazed at the Australian talent you can turn up with only the slightest scratching of the surface.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be putting together a comprehensive gift suggestion list for everyone you could possibly know, all Australian, all independent. Stay tuned and let me know of any artists I should know about - particularly shouting out to regional Aussies.

Co-operation is where it's at....
B

Super...

So, as mentioned in my last post, I want to start drawing attention to some amazing artists that I've had the pleasure of coming across in recent times.

The first such amazing artist is estasketch, an amazing artist from Sydney. I bought three of her works recently for my husband's birthday and was so thrilled with them. They are part of her 'Secret Identity' range and are mind-blowingly good.













The textures, the use of the recycled comic texts, the simple, bold lines are all fabulous, but in the end, the finished piece is still greater than the sum of its excellent parts. Such a pleasure to view, and my husband was over the moon - he hasn't stopped talking about them!!

B

Further to...

I thought I should probably give more of an idea as to what Cubed is about and what I hope to achieve by bringing it all together...

I am truly passionate about the creative community in Australia and believe that there are so many phenomenal artists, crafters and creators out there who just need a whiff of exposure to take off and in turn, show the world that there is more to life than mass produced sheep-wear.

While I believe that each and every one of these talented people deserve their moment in the sun, I also believe that regional Australians don't have quite the same opportunities as those from the larger cities. I guess it's significantly more difficult to head to the weekly markets in Bondi or Melbourne if you live in Broken Hill or Albury. I know that blogging and websites like those I mentioned yesterday do make it easier to maintain a presence, it doesn't necessarily make it easier to participate in a wider community of creatives.

That is what I hope to achieve here. I want to give credit where credit's due and to draw attention to some of our country's most amazing regional creators. So please, drop me a line if you see or know someone who you think deserves a shout-out. Co-operation is where its at...

B

Got ARTISTS??

So, for the independent artists out there, I came across an exhibition which may be appropriate for you to check out. It's rather large, very well attended and is held in three cities in Australia.

Art Off The Wall is being held in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney throughout the first half of next year. The website contains all details you will need to apply, as well as details of respective deadlines:

Melbourne deadline - 1st February 2008

Brisbane deadline - 29th February 2008

Sydney deadline - 1st August 2008

While it is a large-scale event, this is well worth checking out, as the exposure gained by participating is truly incredible.

B

Some Resources to Start Us Off...

I'll start with a list of independent retail websites that might be handy, particularly for creators of handmade items (clothes, jewellery, art, photography, furniture, etc) who are looking for a variety of outlets to showcase their products. These are namely handmade-only sites that allow you to sell direct to the public rather than going through a consignment store (a different situation altogether):

etsy.com
mintd.com
madeit.com
dawanda.com

These each work slightly differently in terms of billing, but the premise of each is the same - you set up your own shop, list your items, set your prices, upload your images, maintain the store, write your own store policies, receive payment (generally through Paypal) ship the items, etc. The advertising and promotions are left up to you, unless you're fortunate enough to be a featured seller one day. (Not something I would recommend holding your breath for though, as there are over 80,000 stores on Etsy.com alone). Typically the site will charge a listing fee, and sometimes they will subtract a percentage of the sale price once a sale is made.

There are many other avenues through which to sell your work, but these are often a good starting point, particularly to give you some idea of the demand for your products and the public reaction to them. Be warned though - they are hard work. Sales generally don't just happen. It's a matter of having very good product photos and descriptions, listing regularly, participating in the online community, promoting yourself both on and offline and having a product that people want. For particularly helpful advice on selling online, check out
Etsy's Forums.

If you come across any similar sites that would be suitable to add to this list, feel free to let me know - co-operation is where it's at.

Welcome, welcome!

This is Cubed Gallery - a space to represent the best of the best in independent Australian crafters, designers, photographers and artists.

I have a passionate belief that all artisans deserve exposure and representation. Cubed Gallery will provide that space for them, as well as acting as the 'finger on the pulse' of the independent Australian creative community.

If you know something or someone you believe should be represented here, please drop me a line - co-operation is what it's all about.

Cheers and here's to a beautiful day.
B