Spotlight: Owls are Hunting

Tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! My name is Jo and I live in Canberra and I actually like it! I do! Canberra gets a tough press! I moved here just over a year ago from a teeny tiny village in the Yorkshire Dales in England where I worked for a bespoke furniture design company who designed for big posh clients like Harrods and Selfridges. I love interiors and homewares so I’ve set up a little business in Canberra (with just the one employee - me!) making lamps and lampshades.

What resources 'have or do you' use to help your creative pursuits (i.e. groups, classes, shops, websites etc)?
We have a fantastic fabric shop in Canberra called Addicted to Fabric so if I’m ever struggling for inspiration I head over there and always find something amazing. I also follow some great design blogs to keep up to date with current trends, and I’m slightly addicted to Twitter – it keeps me connected with other crafters and goings on in the craft world.

What's your best advice for someone starting up?
Be confident in your designs. Stick to your guns. Don’t under value your items – people who buy handmade are cool, intelligent people who want something unique and understand the time and effort and thought that has gone into an item. That’s why they’re buying it!

Do you have any advertising/promotion tips for sellers to be successful?
Firstly: Photography. You need to really take the time to get decent photos of your items. I’m no expert at this at all and I’m still learning with each new picture I take.

Secondly: Take advantage of all the free media stuff that’s out there! Get a blog (I have one! It’s theowlsarehunting.blogspot.com), get a twitter account, get a facebook page, get a flickr account. The more places your name and pictures crop up the more people will find out about you and your lovely products.

Thirdly: Keep your madeit shop looking gorgeous and well stocked. Not only is it a great place to sell your items but it’s also a great place to be spotted by boutique owners, journalists and stylists.

To read the full interview visit the
Owls are Hunting's spotlight page

handmade pet goodies

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This week in the Press!!

Madeit was lucky enough to get a double mention in the latest edition of Notebook Magazine. Not only did Notebook mention madeit.com.au, our twitter account was also mention for great tips by Australian designers and project links. Thanks Notebook!!

The below page is part of an article by Francesca Newby "The Homemade Revolution".


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madeit seller Mrs Beckinsale creative & oh'so gorgeous pillows feature in the latest edition of Frankie Magazine. Check out Mrs Beckinsale's Melbourne Tram and London Bus pillows in their madeit store www.madeit.com.au/MrsBeckinsale


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madeit seller Little Poppett dress features in the "Where the Wild Things Are" photo shoot in the latest edition of Shop for Kids Magazine. Visit www.madeit.com.au/littlepoppett for a range of gorgeous baby & children goodies. (Sorry about the quality of scan below - thumbs down to new printer/scanner)


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Resin Love!!

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New seller quick five! :: Mr Killmousky

New seller : Mr Killmousky
madeit.com.au/MrKillmousky

How did you find about madeit?
We were discussing with a market seller that we wished there was an Australian site for selling handmade goods, she told us about 'Made It' and looking back I can’t believe we hadn't heard of it before.

Explain your style?
Our style is a reflection of our various interests. We don't have a strict style that we feel any pressure to stick to. Influences come from many places including ideas from other cultures, our travels and home. Our experience is that more interesting pieces come from exploring unconnected inspiration rather than being loyal to a style.

What makes you happy?
Being able to create something that another person will cherish, as well as being able to keep the samples and one off pieces! Family, home and our cat are also important in bringing happiness.

What makes you sad?
There are just not enough hours in each day to get to all the ideas we have, being time poor makes us very sad. Also not being able to travel as often as we would like is another thing.

What can't you live without?
It would be hard to get by without an outlet for creativity, the urge to make things is addictive, but the really hard things would be each other and our much loved cat.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

As you know today is Valentine's Day, we normally don't celebrate Valentine's Day however I thought I would make these cute heart biscuits for my boy. I made seven for the seven years we have been together and he gave me a handmade card with a lovely note.
♥ shucks ♥ xoxoxox

Project: Origami Box

Price: Less than $1
Time to make: 15 minutes or less
Clear instructions included: Yes
Additional material needed: Glue
Ability: Beginner

Have you ever tried origami? Then why not try this origami box. It's so much fun if you use bigger pieces of paper and have a little patience. The box I made was so simple, OK so maybe there was a fold or two that needed some extra thought and hand eye co-ordination, but in the end I got it. Making the second box was even easier! They are cheap to make and fairly sturdy if you use scrap booking paper. I used some glue to keep the folds exactly where I wanted them once the box was complete. The finished product was a box 8cm x 15cm, perfect for giving small gifts instead of wrapping. Get folding!

Vanessa
project & research gal

Cath from chunky chooky :: What inspires you?

Madeit seller Cath from chunky chooky shares her inspiration.
visit madeit.com.au/chunkychooky


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My 3 year old: Her giggles, her silliness and her free spirit. She is my number one road tester. If I design a new softie and it doesn't get the squeal of approval it's back to the drawing board. Watching her play with her friends and the characters they make up is always a huge source of inspiration. The way they giggle and talk to their toys - I love watching them.


Nature: I live amongst the hills and trees in a very green valley and my studio overlooks a beautiful section of forest at our place. We are lucky enough to live on the edge of an amazing forest that is full of wildlife and beautiful big old trees. I love going for runs through the trees, watching the light flickering, just me and the dog and the sounds of the birds, the kookaburras laughing at my running attempts....(and this is my favourite bird - a tawny frogmouth)


Beautiful photography: Great photos inspire me to learn to be a better photographer. I love taking photos- especially of objects and I am looking for a new camera at the moment. I am always inspired by the photography I see on some of my favourite blogs like: cathies shots of cakes and Tanias photos of things she makes - they always make me strive to think about my photos more and the different ways to set up a shot.






Children's books: Especially old ones. I love the illustrations and the way animals are depicted- it is my main source of inspiration when I am thinking of a new softie design.

Homewares magazines: My love knows no bounds. We call them porn at my place. When my latest edition arrives in the letterbox - all conversation must cease, tea must be made and lounges must be lounged on. There, I sit and drool, showing disintersted husband the latest chair I love.... then I imagine it in my house.... ( if I just knocked out that wall, and repainted that one and got that cushion I saw the other day over there.....) The styling in homewares magazines, putting two colours together that I may not have thought of -and being mindful of texture has had a huge impact on my designs and on my home. Although I still convet an original Eames - I may have to sell a few more softies before I can have one....

Everyone loves a SALE!!

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Visit madeit.com.au for more handmade gift ideas