Can I please have a Robot a Day?

I absolutely love it when I find someone who is amazing at what they do.

I get this rush of adrenaline and excitement and the need to buy, buy, buy!

There I was searching on Etsy and I come across these beauties!! I am so amazed by the intricate detail of these bots. I want them all!!!

You can find out more information at Robotaday.com or buy one of your own awesome bots from anatomyofaskirt.etsy.com

Free Shipping Worldwide for the month of December!

To all those Millicent Russell fans, I am proud to announce that I will be sending Millicent Russell items off to your doors, beautifully wrapped and free of charge - for postage that is.

Tis the season to buy something for you friends, family or even for yourself. I will be uploading more pieces onto Esty and removing the shipping costs so spend, spend, spend I say!

This promotion also applies to custom orders - if you want me to handcraft you something extra special and unique- please email me on amelia@millicentrussell.com.au!

xxx Amelia

Melbourne - A city with everything!

With every visit to Melbourne I am sad to say farewell at the end of my stay. Melbourne has been one of those places I've always wanted to move - to spread my wings (so to speak) and experience a city which has so much to give in every aspect.

In the past couple of years most of my friends have moved to Melbourne - which is a novelty as every visit turns out to be a weekend of fantastic mayhem with many memories attached.

I kept getting asked to move - or be 'stolen' from my place here in the capital (Canberra) but I am happy for now and I think the novelty of those special weekends would wear if we could do it every weekend. So for now Melbourne (and co) will have to wait.

Getting to the point of this blog, my weekend as per usual was a busy and fantastic one - catching up with friends, enjoying the wonderful late mornings with coffee and breakfast on High Street and the plentiful shopping (with my limited spending funds).

For those who haven't visited Melbourne before, here are some of my 'must visit' places.

For the best:

• Breakfast and coffee in town - visit Oska Whyte on Hight Street Armidale.
• Vintage jewellery, clothing and furniture (or anything for that matter) finds - visit Chapel St Bazzaar, 217 Chapel Street Prahran - Open Mon - Sun 10am - 6pm.
• Bar/Lounge Bar - visit Sister Bella, Sniders Lane in the City.
• Dinner - visit La Camera Restaurant, 446 Chapel Street South Yarra.

Busy week

Sorry to everyone for the lack of posts this week. Work has been very busy and I haven't had a chance to come on here or make any new pieces. I'm actually in Melbourne for work until Tuesday so it will be all quiet on the blog scene until then.  Hopefully I'll be able to bring some exciting things back with me to share with you.

For the time being I'll leave you with some of my ultimate favourites on Etsy since I first got involved in what is an amazing community and place to shop for unique items!

Vintage Piano Locket Charm - Purple Daisy Jewelry

Flower Mug of Tea Necklace - Lychee Kiss

Heart Frame Purse - Emedemarta

Keepsake Box Ring - Yellowgoat

Until next time - hope you all have a great weekend! xx

Shop Local - Western Australia

Ah WA, I love this state with its wonderful Margaret River, fruitful wineries and sunny beaches. Unfortunately it’s not somewhere I can access on the weekend as it’s on the complete opposite side of the continent!

Anyways, I’ve discovered some fantastic designers this week – here are some of my favourite picks.

'The Siren Button Bouquet' - letters4lilly

'Beware Bunnies Pocket Notebook' - Mitchell and Dent

'Set of 4 Jumbo Love Heart Magnets' - Cosmo House Slave

'Star Wars Yoda Lego Cufflinks' - Cosmo Fashion Slave

Millicent Russell photoshoot and editorial

So I just got back from a photoshoot for my label Millicent Russell and it was very exciting! I went to one of the boutiques my jewelery is stocked in - a little boutique called Itrip Iskip - and met up with the lifestyle editor of a local magazine which is circulated weekly CityNews. I was photographed with my pieces and asked about how I started my business. I'll be sure to post the photos and articles as soon as it comes out :)

On another note I've finally scanned in the photos of my pieces in the Australian Bride To Be magazine. They used my pieces in two shots for their August edition.

Shop Local - Tasmania, Australia

Tassie is next! I loved my visit to Tasmania at the start of the year. I got to see a lot of the countryside and there are a lot of amazing designers there.

Here are some of my favourite items from Tasmanian based designers.

'Flora Note Cards with Matching Swing Tags' - Ruby Victoria

'Wrist Cuff - Quilted Cotton Patchwork' - Poppy Lane

'Proud Cream Bird' - Lovelyduck

'Upcycled Notebook' - Isis

'Small Wrist Bag' - Small Things by Nona

'Home Sweet Home pendant' - Little Lari

30 days of giveaways promotion!

I'm currently participating in the Style Collective 30 days of giveaways promotion on Style Collective.
For your chance to win these Millicent Russell limited edition pieces visit Style Collective

Shop Local - Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

I have been ‘shopping local’ on Etsy recently and have found some amazing Australian designers.

Here are some of my favourite items from Canberra based designers. You can some of these designers at the upcoming Handmade Markets in Canberra on 20 - 22 November 2009.

‘Some Like it Ruff Earrings’ – Tango and James

'Hand Cut Paper Cut of White Paper A’ - Tamara Designs

‘Minnie Minsky – Robot Girl’ - Redmag

'White Rabbit Magic Mirror Neclace' - Danielle Kathleen

I'll be putting up a few of my favourites from other states this week! :)

Jenolan Caves

This weekend I went away for a long weekend. It's starting to really warm up now and I can't treasure the time I have outside enough. It's beautiful!

This weekend we went to Jenolan Caves which is situated about 265km away from Canberra - It's closer to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales which is also a must visit destination.

The weather is always very strange at Jenolan - it's very misty when you drive up into the mountains and then on your decent it becomes quite muggy but still cool.

If you can imagine coming through fog which you can barely see one meter in front of you and then driving down a windy road where you start to see the tops of old looking buildings. It's like a little town on its own with a road that goes through a grand arch in the mountain side.

I can just picture in my head the old style fashion of men and women.The long white dresses with large hats and suits for the men.

Anyway we took a few of the cave tours - one of my favourites being the 'river cave' - This tour was two hours in length and took us into some fabulous chambers with amazing cyrstal formations.

It was great because we got to walk up very skinny walkways and climb down steep ladders. My favorite part was seeing the underground river chamber called the 'pool of reflections.' Our tour guide had photos of how the founders used to cross the pool of water. It was fascinating!

We saw a lot of wildlife including a wild platypus!! I was so surprised! I have only seen them in captivity so this was one amazing sight. We also got greeted by an overly friendly Rosella bird while we ate our lunch. He was not scared to come up and take something from your plate or even sit on our shoulders while we ate.

On the way home, I couldn't help but take a photo of the 'Big Merino' - Australia is known for its 'big' things such as the big guitar, the big banana etc. In Goulburn in New South Wales sits the big Merino which is a huge big sheep - You can get inside and see the view of Goulburn from the top. It recently got moved from its original location down the road so you can now see it from the highway. I've driven past it thousands of times but thought I'd take a happy snap to share with you all.

All things 2009..

All things 2009….

This year has been a massive year for me. I’ve done so many things, and visited so many places. I’m really happy I got to do it all even if it has exhausted me beyond anything I’ve ever known ;)

Over the next few days I’ll be posting some pic of favourite places I visited in 2009.

First we have Rainbow Lake which is situated in Perisher Valley in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. This was the most beautiful lake. The sun was perfect and it mirrored the surroundings on the water like I've never seen before.

Second is the rainforest of Cradle Mountain in St.Claire National Park, Tasmania. This national park is world heritage listed and we were there on New Years. It was spectacular.

More photos to come! :)

In the light of the silvery moon...

Good morning!

Last night I spent a few hours working on some more jewellery. I’ve got some more lace necklaces – using beautiful vintage lace in the colours of baby pink and blue. I’ve also put together some new bracelets which incorporate Swarovski crystals and mini heart lace. I’ll have some photos to show very soon. I'm awaiting a package in the mail of more stock. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

This morning I’ve spent a little bit of time working on the look and feel of my blog – It’s harder than I thought! I can’t say it isn’t fun though, I love making things look pretty – hopefully I’ll make this place a little haven of special things.

New Items in Store

Now that spring is here and the birds are chirping away and the flowers are all in bloom, I’ve been extremely inspired to spend my spare time making more pieces. It’s great because I’ve been busy up until now and so now is the time for me to spend some time doing something I absolutely love!

Here are some of the new items I have in store  © Millicent Russell 2009

To blog or not to blog

Ok So I'm new to blogging, this is my first blog and I'm a little bit exicted to get into the blogging scene.

Firstly a little bit about me. I live in Australia and love making jewellery. I own my own jewellery label Millicent Russell which I started in 2006 and now I stock my designs in little boutiques around Australia. It's a great little business and it is blooming so I'm hoping to quit my full time job and work from home making and designing things that I love.

This year has been a big year for me with my full time job - I haven't had much time to work on my jewellery so next year will be an even bigger year as I plan to focus a lot of attention on my jewellery business. I will be re-launching as well as offering an exclusive privaledges club. Stay tuned :)

That's me for now.

I've just re- opened my etsy store so come check out some of my goods!
www.millicentrussell.etsy.com

~ Amelia