Says Lisa:  “For me Mother’s Day is about taking time out to reflect on the importance of the women in all our lives, that have helped in turn make us the women we are.  I love the fact that these subtle pieces reflect, in a soft way, the inner strength we need as women to look after our families and loved ones. These are rough diamonds displaying all the natural colours that are found in diamonds… some are in natural ‘cube’ forms and others shown are polished facet cut stones. The beauty and inherent imperfection of the earth and nature are much more evident in these diamonds and why I find them so appealing.”

HONOURING ALL THE GREAT WOMEN IN OUR LIVES

contact [email protected]
or local stockist Artpiece gallery ..
Sydney stockist  Becker Minty

Or Go to: <https://www.lisablackjewelley.com/
@lisablackjewellery <https://www.instagram.com/lisablackjewellery/>

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“I’ve travelled extensively this year, which has been great but the most inspirational country was Cambodia,” Lisa says.  “I really loved the myriad carvings and art on the temple walls in Angkor Wat. When I got home I thought for a long time about what I’d seen, and this latest collection of cube or natural diamonds,  is a celebration of the divine feminine that much of the art I saw depicted. I love the fact that the Apsara is both sensual and ethereal. She’s the muse that inhabits the skies but Apsara is also the name of a classic Khmer dance, and to me each piece in this new collection speaks of the angelic in its soft muted colours and sugar candy coating.”

The collection reflects Lisa’s lifelong passion for working with and supporting women’s purposeful action, which she has embodied in a new project, Women Who Wear Black. Begun as a tribute to the myriad of amazing women who have influenced and inspired her creations and our world, this project has been conceived to bring together impassioned women from all walks of life to support other women and children in communities across the world. Lisa Black Jewellery pledges 15% of the proceeds from the Women Who Wear Black soiree sales toward a cause selected by the host. “In the past we’ve supported the Hunger Project and the Anganwadi Project,” she says, “and we invite our peers to reach out to us with ideas and expressions of interest in this work. We are also currently working with a fabulous art director who’s just moved back to the area from New York on our new Look Book, so I’m really looking forward to 2017.”

Lisa Black invites visitors to visit them in our studio by private appointment. Lisa Black has selected pieces at Artpiece Gallery in Mullumbimby, Elements Resort in Byron Bay,the Bangalow Pharmacy in Bangalow, at Becker Minty in Sydney, and at Nili Lotan and Stephen Kahan in New York.

Please visit our website www.lisablackjewellery.com lisablackjewellery , follow us on instagram, @lisablackjewellery, or contact us at info@lisablackjewellery

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Jewellery designer and horsewoman Jennifer Boyle started out as a photographer, but then she saw the light, and created Dark Horse jewellery…

“I love photography but photographing large events was extremely time consuming,” explains Boyle, who lives on a property not far from Casino.  “If I’d kept going I would never have had the time for my own horses. So the decision to become a designer was partly based on lifestyle because  I really wanted something more flexible that I could work from home with. But having photographic skills helped me immensely with Dark Horse Studio, as I’ve been able to do all my own product and press images.”

Boyle, who has owned horses most of her life, has always been an animal person.  “I’ve also always been very creative,” she says, “and I’ve been able to blend the two.  I thought of the name because I’ve always loved blacked horses – although funnily enough I own several different coloured horses, and none of them are black.”

Dark Horse has been going for five years, and while Boyle has been carefully building her business, she’s also attracted a mass of media attention because of a curious friendship between two of her four-legged friends.  “I’ve got a horse called Champy, and a cat called Morris, and for some reason they made friends,” she says.  “One day Morris simply hopped on Champy’s back, and Champy didn’t mind at all, and since then it’s become a regular occurence.  They’ve been in newspapers and magazines and even on television.”

Morris goes for his daily walk on Champy.

Boyle’s found the antics of her two animal friends a relief to the difficulties of learning to build a business.  “It was hard in the early days,” she says, ” because I was doing everything myself, and it really used to make my head spin. I had to be the photographer, graphic designer, jewellery designer, sales person, book-keeper and website builder – and sometimes I had to be all those things in one day!”  These days she says – “I’ve just got really good at juggling!”

Creating the business has in large part meant working out the market for her unique jewellery.  “I think it’s one of the most fundamental things to work out the best place to market your goods,” she says. “Sometimes places you think will work really well don’t and other places turn out to be wonderful surprises.” In the early days of the business Boyle sold equestrian related items directly to customers at horse events  but nowadays days she’s handling more and more wholesale orders.

“It was always part of the long term plan to be able to mainly sell wholesale,” she says, “and I’m really pleased that the Australian range, and also the merchandise for events and organisations have really started to take off. I’ve progressed into different ranges as well, I still have the equestrian range, but also a Champy & Morris range, Australian animals, farm animals and some dog breeds and I’m always adding more.  I’d like to get to a point where I can donate some of the Australian animal range in particular to help native animal charities on an ongoing basis. It would be great to know that these products have helped animals in some small way.”

“I couldn’t live without my animals,” says Jewellery designer Jennifer Boyle.

A recent growth in the business has been the poularity of her Australian animal range.  “I’ve had a great response to the them,” says the 42-year-old, who was born in Newcastle, but has lived in the Northern Rivers for over a decade.  “There’s really nothing like it, and it means people can buy something small, light, attractive and Australian for overseas gifts as well.”

But no matter how well the jewellery does, and how much she enjoys the process, it’s her animals that are her inspiration.  “It’s my horses and my other animals that get me out of bed each day,” says Boyle.  “I couldn’t live without them.”

For information on Jennifer Boyle go to:

https://www.facebook.com/champyandmorris/

https://www.facebook.com/DarkHorseStudio/?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/jendarkhorse

https://darkhorsestudio.com.au/

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There’s no doubt that little Newrybar, nestled in the hills between Bangalow and Ballina has been transformed from the Whitechapel of the Monopoly Board to Mayfair over the past six years or so, with the expansion of the Harvest cafe and restaurant, the opening of Driftlab and the Harvest Deli and weekend bakery (by brothers Zane and Tristan Grier respectively).

The impressive collection of artisans gathered under the Merchants collective label includes Sibella Court of Society Inc, Jai Vasicek, Patterson and Steele, Shannon Fricke Heart & Home, TigmiTrading morrocan rugs, Fate and Fortune stationery, handmade bespoke leather goods by Wolf & Maiden from Cape Town, and clothing from a few handpicked sources, stocked under the Miller Trading Group umbrella, which includes Todd Miller and his artist wife Diana.

Until recently the Newrybar Merchants store was the much-loved Newrybar Antique Store, which is still present, but in a much smaller way, and the current occupiers have kept the charm of the original 1890’s building, carefully blending country charm with a sophisticated feeel within this somewhat unique retail space.  Another Newrybar institute, Beautiflora, with its weekend cart tucked down at the bottom of the old bakery, has also come on board, and as you go into the shop, the first room on the left is a riot of colour – not to mention creating a wonderful fragrance for the space.

Newrybar Merchants will provide an exciting addition to the already bustling village of Newrybar which features the popular Harvest Café & Deli and Driftlab. It will be sure to become a destination for those seeking a unique retail experience in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

Newrybar Merchants is located at 19 Old Pacific Highway, NSW (the site of the old Antique store) over the road from Harvest Café. Opening Hours: 9am – 5pm Monday – Sunday.

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These beautiful hand-made soy wax candles in recycled bottles come from local Northern Rivers designers Samson & Bronc – who have a special story behind their Mother’s Day Bulgarian Rose candle.

Sam remembered his mother talking about his great-grandmother and great-grandfather, and the rose garden they’d created together in the garden of their villa in Bulgaria. “My great-grandfather, Frank, was an English diplomat and Eva was an Irish nurse, and they met in Varna where they married and had a family. They had a huge garden, and they filled it with roses. When the second World War broke out, my great-grandmother had to leave Bulgaria for England with her five children. She never saw Frank again. He was killed in Egypt, but many years later Eva showed my mother letters from him talking about how one day they would recreate their Bulgarian rose garden.”

When Sam also discovered that Bulgarian Rose Otto was the most highly prized fragrant essential oil in the world, the story and the perfume came together.

“We chose Bulgarian Rose for so many reasons – roses are a symbol of love,” he says, “and this candle is created for a love story – we’re proud of this candle, and we hope it lights up your Mother’s Day.”

Get your Samson & Bronc Mother’s Day Candle from The Harvest Deli, Flowers at the Farm, Bangalow Post Office, Millar & Moore and various Loot stores.

To order online go to samsonandbronc/candles/

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Lismore designer Monique goes for pink with her new label, Chip the Teacup.

Young Lismore designer Monique Hope has always wanted to be a fashion designer. She recently launched her own label, Chip The Teacup – inspired by music and fairy tales – and for the past year Monique has been blogging and selling handmade designs online whilst preparing for the launch of her debut clothing line. The 24-year-old Northern Rivers resident has her sights set on sharing Chip The Teacup with a global audience, writes Style editor Sam Drewe.

 Q: What sparked your interest in fashion and design?

I remember the moment I first really looked at fashion from a design point of view, I was about 16 and I saw a yellow Vera Wang dress in a magazine and I clearly recall looking at who the designer was because it was the most stunning thing I had ever seen and I wanted to know who created it because it took my breath away like nothing I’d seen before.

Q: Where did the name of your label come from?

In my favourite fairytales there is always an element of beauty, femininity and fragility contrasted with a darker tale or beast. Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale and I chose to name my label after the name of a character in the Disney version of the story called Chip Potts (he is a little teacup with a chip). To me it represents something sweet and quirky, cute and individual.

Q: What was the inspiration behind your new collection?

My debut collection called Dirty Pop Fantasy and it’s inspired by my love of Aussie band Regurgitator and the aesthetic that I see when I listen to their music. The collection is bubble-gum, cotton candy colours mixed with unusual silhouettes, sparkly organza cutouts and frill accents. Its totally unicorn spew – obnoxiously pink with lots of attitude!

Q: Who is your typical customer? 

The Chip the Teacup girl is brave and unique and not afraid to stand out in a crowd for being different. She’s a sweetheart who loves all things sparkling and has a big imagination to match her big dreams. She loves music, art and of-course tea (or vodka from teacups and most likely cats too!).

Q: What has influenced your style? 

I adore Kawaii Japanese fashion – so original and always super cute!! I am also always keeping an eye on street style in area where I live – and I’m lucky because street style around here in Lismore, and places like Byron Bay is very eclectic and interesting – and also I browse the Internet. I’m also fascinated by the fashion of musicians past and present.  People can check out my designs on: www.chiptheteacup.com <https://www.chiptheteacup.com/>

Q: Which Australian designers do you look up to?

Lady Petrova, Romance Was Born, Sretsis, Dyspnea, Her Pony, House of Cards and Wnd.Lnd.

Q: Is there anyone you would like to see wearing your designs?

Katy Perry, Cara Delevingne, How Two Live (Jess + Stef), Doe Deere (Lime Crime Makeup), Petrova (Lady Petrova)

Q: What is inspiring you at the moment? What’s in store for the label in 2014?

Lately I am drawn to textural materials and DIY– fur, sparkles, hard and soft, Clashing patterns and prints. I am loving making handmade pieces like my fluffies and furkinis as well as patterns and samples for the next collection.

Monique’s Dirty Pop Fantasy collection will be out this Spring (Sept 2014) and this summer the Chip the Teacup Glitter Seas Swim Capsule will be released, as well some limited edition Summer garments. Her crowd-funding campaign is currently raising funds for the launch of her label, check it out here: https://www.pozible.com/project/183308

Monique Hope: Chip the Teacup was inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

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