A very creative family....

Miranda Earle Designs

Whew! It's been a big week and it's only mid way through! Market week is always massive.. perhaps a bit of meditation is in order! My blogging brain is not in the sharpest of form so I'll only be brief!

We have some lovely new stalls coming this Saturday which is exciting and I always look forward to seeing what our new artists and designers actually have on their fabulous tables!! Its always a dangerous time if I have money in my pocket!!

I'm also excited that this Saturday Miranda Earle http://www.mirandaearle.com/is returning to Olive Tree after having her second child. Miranda and her partner Justin Montefiore are incredibly talented people and not just in one area. Miranda teaches, performs in theatre and is a screen printed/designer/textile artist. They are only the talents I know about so there is probably a whole other bag of things she does. Justin is a musician and makes amazing instruments and we are very lucky when he plays some of them at the market. Notice I say some!!

Anyway I'm very glad Miranda is back because she does such original work and Olive Tree is a more interesting place when she's around.

Oh dear! I'm burnt out already so it's over and out for tonight!

Miranda Earle Designs

I must say 'Blossom & Cat' are a big favourite at the moment!

Blossom & Cat has been a regular stallholder this year at The Olive Tree Market. I really love what creator Helen does with her handmade 'creatures' and sewing kits. You only have to take a little look at the images below to see how cute her work is! Blossom & Cat uses new, rescued and vintage fabrics which you can either buy as little works of art or as sewing kits to create for yourself at home. I'm really looking forward to getting in first this Saturday so I can buy one of Helen's new brooches myself!! To celebrate winter she has created heart and owl brooches from recycled winter blankets and they are totally gorgeous!! Come and check them out- but I wouldn't leave it too late!! If you would like to have a look at the Blossom & Cat website click herehttp://www.blossomandcat.com.au/#!

Recycled Blanket Heart Brooches

Sewing Kits

I Heart You Brooches

Miss Di Jones is very clever!!

Ice Skating Fifties Princess copyright  'Sketch & Jones'

Well its been a bit of a crazy week in the lead-up to next weeks market but I had a little reprieve when I visited two of our talented stall-holders for a little bit of help with my blog. Di & Anita happen to be sisters and I went to their house for the very first time and was mightily impressed by their hive of creativity!! Di is the clever lady behind 'sketch & jones' and Anita is the alchemist behind the delicious macaroons and cupcakes that you find at olive tree. 

So!! into their house and through a magic curtain I entered their kitchen/living room. In front of me were trays of glimmering macaroons- very glossy and delicious did they look!! I was lucky enough to sample the chocolate and pink ones and I really think you should head on down to the next market and snap some up!!

But I'm getting off track. My visit was partially for Di to give me some pointers on how to work the design panels that must be mastered for successful blogging. I'm ashamed to say I walked away not having written down more than a few words. Di very nicely said I should come back another time with a project to complete. Miss Jones kindly solved one of my problems, last night she worked some magic, and the pretty flags you know see on my page were rendered by her crafty hands.

Anyway... You should flick on over to Miss Jones blog to look at all her wonderful illustrations, images and fabric artworks. http://sketch-jones.blogspot.com/ Her illustrations are some of my favourite things at Olive Tree and often evoke favourite childhood memories with a twist.

newcastle has pretty sunsets...

It's is freezing outside!! But very beautiful too... Sometimes when the sky is like this i'm very glad that i can rug up and walk along the breakwall. I think its my favourite place in Newcastle and a good walk in the cold is good for the spirit!! Sometimes anyway! The sky was very pretty and really thats all that matters. I'm old enough to remember the beautiful sunsets we used to have when the steelworks was still here- all that pollution was great for the sunsets!?! I think I prefer the ones now.

These photo were taken with my phone which is really still a revelation to me. I do have a new camera though and I hope to start using my eye again. Once a pona time, as my 8 year old spells it, I used to be a photographer!! Perhaps writing this blog will inspire me to start using my camera a little more.

I do always take photos at The Olive Tree Market but sometimes its hard to be creative when you are rushing about in 'Market Manager' mode. We are always looking for photographers. It has actually been hard to find them so if you are one, an artistic one, please drop me a line.....

It's a new phase at Olive Tree...

Today I visited my lovely designer Gwena Levasseur, she is the clever lady who designed all the material for Red Lantern Night Market last year. Anyway, she will make the Olive Tree blog a little less basic next week, which will be nice, as it really isn't my forte!

I'm busy working away for the next market on July 2nd and for the first time it's on my lonesome! My co-creators of The Olive Tree Market, the lovely Bec Thomson and Ally Buchanan, are my partners in crime no more. The girls have opened a fantastic cafe One Penny Black so have made the hard decision to leave Olive Tree. It's been a dream of theirs for many years, to open a cafe, so we made the decision that I would continue Olive Tree on my own.

While we are all sad that this project is ending we are also excited that we are entering a new phase of our creative lives. Anyway, I'll miss those crazy sisters as collaborators but I'm sure we will work on projects together in the future. It really has been a wonderful partnership and we are all so proud of what we have created with The Olive Tree Market. So!!! Go and check out their wonderful cafe- its a funky lit bit of Melbourne in the Hunter St Mall.

Anyway... I am really excited by this new phase of The Olive Tree Market and will be doing lots of new things in the coming months.

A little bit about the next market. Nick & Liesl who are a fantastic 'folkish' duo will be playing on July 2nd. They are just back from a very successful tour around Australia and we are lucky that they will be doing their only gig in Newcastle at The Olive Tree Market before heading off on a tour in Europe. They have just released their second album, and its been getting some great airplay, so come and have a listen!!

Perhaps a blog about Olive Tree would be a little more fun...

We started a website last year for The Olive Tree Market and while it looks very pretty I really think I am more suited to blogging!! That and I'm a bit of a ludite and all that uploading and upkeep was frankly a little overwhelming!

Did you know that The Olive Tree Market has been running since 2008 and has over 100 talented handmade artisans as stallholders?! Our stallholders are an eclectic bunch and represent a whole lot of disciplines! Printmaking, photography, silver smiths, fashion, textile arts, kids handmade toys & clothes, jewellery, woodwork, blacksmithing and more...

So!! over the next little while I will start blogging about our fantastic market and i'll introduce you to some of our creative and talented artists and designers.

First off the rank is Jo Dyer, from happily ever afternoon, who is an amazing illustrator and currently is having a solo exhibition at The Roost Creative in Newcastle. Her Blog is here. 

I'm already the proud owner of a number of Jo's beautifully whimsical prints and can't wait to see her exhibition.

So, this is the first little post. I have a lot to do. Design and ideas and a whole lot more but I'm looking forward to it.... Let me know if there is anything you would like to hear about!

Jo Dyer brooches 'happily ever afternoon'

Jo Dyer Little Paintings 'happily ever afternoon'

http://www.jodyer.com.au/