Made By White Australian animal brooches

Regular Bondville readers will know that I have an obsession with Australian-made. And if it's designed in Australia, made in Australia and features Australian wildlife, I'm just as happy as a pig in mud. I might even have to do a round-up of some of my favourite modern Australiana. In the meantime, get your Easter Bilby on, and adorn your lapel/scarf/tote with a cute Australian animal brooch by those clever girls at Made By White.

Etched in wood using a laser and then hand-painted, the range of Aussie animal brooches includes the Bilby, a camp Fairy Penguin, Mum and baby Wombats, an apple-hugging Koala and a sugar glider hitching a lift on a paper airplane. They are all fantastic, but I'm thinking that the Bilby would be a perfect Easter gift for a little someone.

You can find the Made By White brooches in the online store.

Images: Made By White

Made By White - new jewellery collaborations

Clever clog sisters Lyndsay and Kelly White from local jewellery label Made By White have been collaborating with other clever clogs to create these carnival-cute brooches and jewellery.

Along with parterships including Sydney-based Mechelle B and Melbournian Christine (Jam Fancy), the girls have just announced new collaborations with UK illustrator Gemma Correll and French designer Julie Camille (One Little Fox). Take your pick - cheeky cats, owls, pug dogs, bears, raccoons, squirrels or foxes. What's not to love?

All collaborated works are limited edition pieces using wood, perspex and laminate. Better get one quick smart!

You can find Made By White jewellery in the online store and stockists across Australia.

Read more about Made By White here on Bondville.

Images: Made By White

The Storybook Rabbit vintage plates

Gosh, I started writing this post in September last year, but have finally been reminded to share The Storybook Rabbit with you after seeing the gorgeous plates at The Finders Keepers market again on the weekend.

Kelly White, one half of the Made By White sister-duo, is the creative soul behind this lovely project. Sydney-based Kelly revamps beautiful vintage ceramic plates with her illustrations of rabbits and their friends.

How can you resist bunnies! Great for adults and kids alike (but better keep these ones out of reach of little hands). What a lovely christening or naming ceremony gift. Something special to treasure forever.

You can find The Storybook Rabbit in the etsy store, the Made By White online store. Find out more about The Storybook Rabbit on the Made By White blog and on the Facebook page. And read more about Made By White here on Bondville.

Images: The Storybook Rabbit

Aussie Indie Artists Ripped Off

{start rant}Every now and then I feel so strongly about something, that I have to speak out. One of them was when big US footwear company Deckers Outdoor Corporation (who bought the Ugg Australia in 1995) allegedly started suing small home businesses making sheepskin boots for using the word "Ugg" for their product. Hello! An Ugg is an Ugg is an Ugg, no matter who owns the trademark for the word. That's like trademarking the word "sandal"!

At the moment, I'm completely furious with the blatant copying of designs of independent artists. Only a few weeks ago I read about the forged versions of Ashley Anna Brown's Fern Animals popping up in retail stores with a "Made in China" sticker on their bellies (read story here). And today I've just read about enormous UK store TopShop stocking copied versions of brooches by our own Made By White.

These are not "inspired" products; these are replicas of original designs by artists who will never see the royalties from the sales of these imposters, and will have their gorgeous designs cheapened by inferior products. And do you know how hard it is to take on these copycats through the legal system? It takes a huge amount of time, costs a lot of money, and may never produce any results.

Here is a link to an article in The Age about the ripping off of indie designs, and more about it on the Made By White blog here and here. If you see something that you know is a copy, please alert the artist, and write to the stockist to let them know. Our designers need our help.{end rant}

Image: Made By White

Hip Products: Made By White jewellery

In the Nushka Dolls article, veri maz commented that she loves matryoshka dolls almost as much as she loves squirrels and owls and octopus and deer and possums. Well Made By White jewellery is the label for her. These sisters are on the money. They have covered all the cool icon bases and then some with their whimsical designs that are modern and attention-getting.

Without a doubt, my favourites are the Mexican-inspired calaveras skulls. Are they the matryoshka of 2009? Cute and kind of scary at the same time - great combination. And how can you go past the dancing bears with skirts!

New South Wales-based sisters Lyndsay and Kelly White are on a mission to bring the fun back to wearable art. They use materials like wood, laminate, perspex, and of course sterling silver chains and earring backs to create a fun range that includes brooches, earrings, buttons, wall hangings, and knitted spooks.

Check out the Made By White website for the online shop (where you can search by colour) and a list of stockists online, around Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and the US.

Image: Made By White