MooBeeView #8: Voodoo Rabbit - plus Amazing Giveaway!

This months MooBeeView is with the fabulous and original Cloud and Ky from Voodoo Rabbit.  Voodoo Rabbit are suppliers of an amazing range of eclectic crafting supplies and are the creative force behind their own fabric designs and craft items. 

Voodoo Rabbit has just launched a new web store and we are proud to be able to give you a chance to enter a Giveaway that will introduce you to their fabulous world.  So grab a drink, settle back and relax, and enjoy the world of Voodoo Rabbit. 

1) After doing my research (and putting on my amateur profiler hat) I'm starting you both off with a difficult task (I think you can take it!) - Word Association.  Please let us know the first things that come to mind when I mention the following (keep in mind any kiddies in our audience!):

 

• Roller Derby – rink rash 
• Rilakkuma -  Kiddyland (a huge toy shop in Harajuku, Tokyo) 
• Twilight – when the sun starts to set (nice to see there are some normal people left in the world!)
• Punk - tartan.

2) You obviously both have a love for Japanese fabrics.  What is it about theses fabrics that attracts you both to them?  How do they inspire you in your own creative pursuits?

You can't help but love fabric from Japan. Cloud didn't own a sewing machine, didn't know how to sew and bought nearly $200 worth of cotton fabrics the first time she went to Japan because it was too beautiful to resist. If you haven't seen or used Japanese cotton before, you really should. It is a dream to sew with and is unmatched by anything you can find in places like Spotlight.

Japanese cottons are great quality. The range of colours and patterns is really diverse. The Japanese people still make quite a lot things themselves at home. Just one fabric store had over five levels – full to the rafters – with fabric. It was heaven.

There is a huge cos-play, gothic & Lolita subculture in Tokyo which means that we can find all the designs that we love. There are lots of skull patterns, black, white, tartan, reds – the range is amazing.

Kawaii (literal translation from Japanese is 'cute') is near to impossible to find in Australia. Japan is the only place I know where you can buy a fabric that features little pigs, in a bakery. Fabrics in Japan even have cute selvedges!

Kokka fabrics from Japan – especially the designs by Etsuko Furuya for the Echino range are absolutely stunning. Her Cobweb design would have to be one of our all time favourites. The quality of the cotton is superb – you cannot fault it.

 

3) Given your eclectic tastes, where do you see your designs going next?  Will we see some more 'crazy toys' being created by Cloud and what is getting Ky's creative fabric juices flowing - what is 2010 going to bring to the Voodoo Rabbit fan?

Ky is currently finalising a tattoo inspired design featuring flaming cherries. The design itself is finalised, the colours just need to be tweaked. Cloud has been doodling skulls – not sure what Ky will do with them – they are ready to be scanned in for possible use in another fabric design.

Cloud is planning to finish her 'Stumpy' project. The results will be... interesting. Whatever the outcome, there will be a Voodoo Rabbit doll available on Etsy before the year is out. There may also be a Zombie Hare plushie pattern fabric in the works.

4) Time now for the last tricky fab four question - Project Runway has asked you to create a Voodoo Rabbit challenge for their designers using only items from your new shop.  What would that challenge be?  Please explain.

Surely the ultimate challenge would have to be a wedding dress made using only the fabrics, buttons and motifs available in our store. We'd only let the designers purchase  zippers, eyelets, ribbon and boning from anywhere else. We'd set the budget for the fabric at $750.

Alternative weddings are actually quite popular. Not everyone dreams of a traditional white wedding! We'd love to see a steampunk, Lolita, goth or rockabilly-tattoo wedding dress to knock your socks off.

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I'd like to thank Voodoo Rabbit's Ky and Cloud for taking the time to answer my questions and letting us in to their fabulous world.  If you want to learn more about Voodoo Rabbit and what makes it tick, please visit one of the online sites:

 

Webshop: http://www.voodoorabbit.com.au
Etsy: http://voodoorabbit.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/voodoorabbit
Blog: http://voodoo-rabbit.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/voodoorabbitfabric

MooBeeTee's Four Word Review:  Outrageously Amazing Stash Suppliers!

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This Giveaway is Now Closed :)

And now for the Giveaway!  Voodoo Rabbit has offered my blog readers a chance to win a shop voucher to the value of AUD$20 to be used in their new Web Store - a fabulous opportunity to try some Japanese fabric for yourself!

How?  It's easy!  Follow these steps:

1: Visit www.voodoorabbit.com and tell us which is your favourite fabric (and colour) and what you would like to make from it - leave a comment here.

Bonus entries (Let me know in a seperate comment for each bonus)

2: Tweet about your favourite fabric with the words, "I heart this fabric @voodoorabbit {link}" - make sure you include the link!

3: Become a follower of Voodoo Rabbit's Blog

4: Become a follower of MooBeeTees Blog

You can enter as many times as you like - the more entries you leave, the better your chances of winning.  Remember - leave a seperate comment for each entry and include your email address as the winner will be generated randomly.

The giveaway will finish on the 30 April 2010 at 12:00pm (AEST). The winner will be contacted and given 48 hours to accept.

 Good Luck!!

New MooBeeViews Coming Soon...

Just a quickie to let you all know I have two MooBeeViews coming soon.  Both SashaSews and Angelene have agreed to undertake the fabulous four questions - very exciting!  Keep an eye on my posts, becasue they will be up before you know it!!

 You never know - there may even be something in it for you!

MooBeeView #5: NyjoleJewellery

We are back for 2010.  A MooBeeView is an opportunity to learn a little more about my fellow Etsians and their many varied talents - but in a slightly quirky style.  

This year the first to take up the challenge of the MooBeeView is Nyjole of NyjoleJewellery.  Nyjole is a self taught jeweller who has been specialising in wedding jewllery for the last two years. Her work is exquisite, very fine and Nyjole uses only the best of materials, including Swarovski Crystals and Fresh Water Pearls.

So sit back, relax and meet - NyjoleJewellery...

1. Now it is obvious to say that you are a very talented artist when it comes to creating fabulous, intricate pieces of heirloom jewllery - but we all need to know the answer to just one question...is your avatar a picture of you on your wedding day? And as a supplementary question - are you wearing a piece of your own handiwork (details please!)?
 

Ha, I wish I looked that gorgeous. No, fortunately for me, my avatar picture is of the beautiful Lisa Ellison. I made all the wedding jewellery for her wedding, plus five bridesmaids and one flower girl. I have created and designed for over 60 weddings, but I just love this picture. I had fun collaborating together with Lisa’s mother making sure every details was agreed upon. Lisa lived in Melbourne at the time and I live in North Queensland so therefore all details went through Lisa‘s mother. One of my favorite weddings to this date. 

I was also commissioned to design and make jewellery for another wedding in the same family. Lisa’s brother was getting married the next year, so fortunately they contacted me again to do Tallara’s wedding jewellery (see picture).

2. Now that we have that out of the way, your work is so fine and so very detailed and I find many artists often suffer from the same issue of when is enough is enough. How do you determine this with your pieces as I imagine it would be hard to stop sometimes when working with such beautiful materials.

When I create my pieces, I just let things be, sort of a natural process. Things are never planned, otherwise if they are, generally in my experience things never go to plan. Each piece is designed to showcase the gemstones to their best advantage. Freshwater pearls and Swarovski Crystals are my passions. For me wire becomes the extension of my finger tips, wire and I seam to have a connection, an understanding that seams to be in sync. There is a sense, a feeling when enough is enough...having a background in Interior Design has given me a great foundation for symmetry and balance.

3. I'm now seriously considering getting married again so that I can wear your Lace Bracelet - when you work with brides have you ever been asked to create a design that you initially thought was impossble to make, only to find that you have to invent new techniques in order to complete the piece? Could you tell us a little about the process that you went through? (I ask this knowing the answer will be yes!)

Of course, the answer is yes. I find a lot of my commission pieces are unique and original. I go into each design with a fresh mind, sometimes I am quite apprehensive with nerves as to what I am going to come up with. Wondering will I be able to pull this one off. But I do, and things fall into place. As you can tell with my designs they are quite organic and free formed. I am constantly inventing new techniques, ones that even surprises myself. I find I do get bored when making the same designs for my market store Therefore in frustration, I do experiment and tend to come up with new techniques. I also look towards nature for inspiration, and of course anything vintage that has glam and sophistication.

4) And finally, if I told you that one of the following three people was on the phone requesting you to provide jewllery for their impending weddings - Chelsea Clinton, Katy Perry, Robbie Williams - who would you choose, why and what would you make?

Ah a trick question, thought you had me tricked there Karen for a minute.
I was going to say Chelsea Clinton. Bah, I know I’m from the old school and I’m a bit tame and ‘good’ at times… But then I had to google Katy Perry to get some of her pictures…

 
What the! I am going to say Katy Perry wins with out any doubt. She has that retro glam, sometimes bad look that I love. Katy Perry would look great against my jewellery. A perfect match. Karen can you give Katy my number please!

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I'd like to thank Nyjole for taking the time to answer my questions and letting us in to her elegant world.  If you want to learn more about Nyjole and NyjoleJewellery please visit her at one of her online sites:

Etsy Shop: http://www.nyjolejewellery.etsy.com
Website:   http://www.nyjolejewellery.com
Twitter:    http://twitter.com/NyjoleJewellery 
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/nyjolejewellery/226273139754

MooBeeView's 4 Word Review: Jewelled Elegance; Wired Delacacies :-)