Maddabling: Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas

Welcome dear readers to another edition of Friday Friends. The Maddabling craft desk has been working in overdrive this week doing final market prep for the Mothers Day Markets this weekend - if you are in the area, drop into the Vancouver Arts Centre from 9-4pm and check out all of the wonderful local arts and crafts on sale ! Here's a sneaky peek of what is on the Maddabling stall :

I digress - this week it is my great pleasure to introduce another new Friday Friend and DUSTy Diva - meet Rachael from HipBrown.

Rachael makes really wonderful things, the trendiest belts for tots and luscious homewares with a touch of glamour. I want to share some of my faves with you now. These cute belts for boys and girls are so much nicer than the ones I have seen in department stores, wouldn't you agree ?

And for a touch of Housewife Glamour, you really can't go past these sweet lavender sachets

or the gorgeous Designer Dishcloths made from reusable Bamboo and Cotton !

Dear readers, I shall now leave you to read the low-down on the hippest of the hip - HipBrown ! Have a lovely weekend everyone xo

The low-down on the hippest of the hip - HipBrown

Who is HipBrown?

Hip Brown began in 2009. The name came about because when I first met my husband he used to call me Little Brown. I am relatively short, he is tall and back then I did have brown hair. Little Brown did not quite hit the mark in terms of a business name however after some workshopping I found “Hip Brown” and that did for me. I initially started out doing children’s accessories (belts) and then in 2011 a range of home-wares. It’s taken me a while to realise that the Hip Brown brand does accessories for home and living. I currently have two online stores Hip Brown and Hip Brown Home-wares, I see these as kind of like mini departments that contribute to the one brand/ label.

How and When did your handmade/artistic journey begin ?

I have always been a creative person. I was a contemporary dancer until 2003. Ooh my, that was nearly a decade ago, I am getting older! As a child my lovely mum did not always have the creative confidence to sew all of the costumes that went with all that glitziness so where could, I would do it. I loved making headpieces and sewing on sequins just as much as performing, it was just an extension of being creative and that came very natural to me.

What inspires you ?
I am inspired by everything however more specifically speaking; my children, I do love drinking tea over a decent magazine, my house, antique stores, a trip to the art gallery, occasional bubbles and just day to day living in general. One aspect will always feed another. My house is an endless source of inspiration as we renovated a couple of years ago. It is still a work in progress and in some areas a blank canvass. It takes time to fill in the finer details and to find the right accessories/ look to convert it to a real home. Often I will find product ideas for my store by simply knowing what I want and need for my own house.

What mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite ?

I love wood, rope, feathers and of course fabric too! I do find it hard to pass by a good haberdashery store for quirky details like pom poms, twine or tassel’s. Whilst I like a natural/ earthy look to my products I definitely believe the finer details are important too and add that little bit of extra love and style.

What kind of things do you make/ create?

I make lavender tee bags for the closet and larger lavender tee bag decorations for the house, dishcloths, scourers, 50’s style hanging picture signs and children’s belts.

Do you have a favourite piece that you have made/created?

I am quite absorbed by my 50’s vintage signs at the moment. I am particularly focused on the logistics of getting them from prototype to store listing… I am nearly done; I have learned from experience/ mistakes that it takes time to do it right. I love these signs because they are more design based for me. I have created the images/ stencils and overall look. I also love my tee bag decorations because they multitask; they smell beautiful and make your house look lovely at the same time.

What are your future plans/dreams/aspirations?

I would like to open my own domain and online store when I have a tad more time to work on it. I like the idea of my brand having its own domain and identity in order to further online brand awareness. I have plans to explore wholesaling some of my home-wares products in the very near future; specifically some of the easier designs. I have no wish to move into sweat shop territory again.

It is something one needs to be conscious of as I know from experience it can happen! It is also a mind boggle as to what it can do to the price of your item. I enjoy making the kids belts much more now that I don’t have the pressure of big wholesale orders and am much happier they are more affordable simply selling online to everyone. Generally my plans are to continue doing what I do because words cannot really describe how much I love it and how much I enjoy watching my little business grow.