In the second part of her post (read the first part here), Jacqui Fink of Little Dandelion introduces us to some of the new artists & creatives whose work she has curated for our Hand Made Markets.

Thanks to the tremendous support we received from you for the Made by Hand series, Temple & Webster has kindly invited me back to rustle up some new makers of unique and gorgeous products just in time for Christmas. I happily admit that I'm a fool for Christmas so I have had a jolly old time bringing these makers together.  We've got some heavyweights in the modern craft movement for you: from the cream of paper artists in Australia, ceramic Christmas decorations and silk wreaths, Shibori dyed cushions and works of art and wire to adorn your walls, I have left no stone unturned to bring you truly beautiful and original handmade finds. So here it is: Temple & Webster's Hand Made Market. May your days be merry and bright and filled with love and joy. I'm off to listen out for those sleigh bells and find my stash of Christmas carols: it's is never too early and they get me everytime….Merry Christmas everyone. Jac x



SEAHORSE HOME
Seahorse Home is a Bondi-based design company founded by T&W senior stylist Adam Powell and contemporary dancer Paul Walker. These creatives are quiet achievers of tremendous talent. In fact, Adam happens to be responsible for many of the amazing scenes presented to you daily on Temple & Webster. Seahorse Home was born out of a love for colour, natural elements and the sea air. These loves are bought together in the sweetest air terrariums you can imagine, housing a tiny air growing plant, Tillandsias. Each terrarium is unique in its design and is assembled by very steady hands. I have one of these terrariums and I am completely biased. I can attest to their beauty and my Tillandsias survives to this day despite my benign neglect. The boys are soon to launch a new line of handmade patchwork quilts.



JAMES GORDON
This man is a heavyweight in the Australian art scene and I am chuffed to have him on board for the Hand Made Market. James Gordon's CV reads like the who's who of the Australian "A" list. From art directing Collete Dinnigan's 2002 runway show in Paris to designing several high profile marriages (think Packer and Murdoch), James has kicked some serious career goals. My favourite is his transformation of the Sydney Town Hall into a fantastical Christmas tree in 2001. Wonderful! This highly gifted man loves to indulge in a little fine art in various forms but his passion is paper. James transforms exquisite papers into beautiful, intricate and whimsical works of art like it was the easiest task in the world to perform. What a marvel! His mantra: "Pursue trends, while embracing classicism".



CATHERINE SWAN
Catherine Swan is another member of the paper royal family: the queen of Papillons de Papier. This highly creative spirit delicately hand cuts paper butterflies from the pages of vintage magazines from the technicolour world of the 1950s and 1960s. Catherine is passionate about the old Kodachrome colours and paper quality of that time and finds "something trapped and beautiful about the text and the illustrations" which capture details which were obviously so important at that time, but which now seem so irrelevant. Catherine considers the butterfly metaphor the "perfect way to express this heartbreaking beauty." Catherine's works are true labours of love and involve countless hours of intricate hand work.



IMOGEN HEATH
Imogen Heath comes to us all the way from the UK. Imogen runs a design studio which specialises in creating beautiful decorative fabrics and surface patterns for interiors. Imogen's focus is on geometric and organic motifs and combines traditional artisan techniques with digital technology to create magnificent results. Many facets of Imogen's process are still by hand. Imogen takes direct inspiration from her surroundings, particularly nature and the algorithmic patterns found in architecture. From graphic prints to pretty florals, Imogen's range suits all design preferences.



LARKBIRD
Larkbird is a new venture for talented artist Cat Willow. Cat is another of my Instagram finds. Her art work is whimsical with a strong focus on animals and nature. Cat's latest artistic expression - Larkbird- stemmed from a frustrating period of artist's block. During this time, Cat experimented with scrawling words across the blank canvas/surface to warm up (with the intention of painting over the scribble) usually using sentences and words about gratitude, happiness and love.  It worked and Cat found that certain positive words were standing out in each piece, becoming a theme, begging to be left visible to the observer. Positive feedback form her clients led Cat to  create a range of super-simplified versions on wood under the name of Larkbird.  Her message is inspiration and positivity...a little whimsy and fun. Each piece is unique, handwritten in oil and painted in acrylic. Cat's works are inspirational.



PAPER COUTURE
Jo Neville of Paper Couture may as well be considered royalty in the paper art world. Starting her career as a graphic designer, Jo spent many years designing corporate identities, annual reports and packaging for others before happening upon her true love - paper. And thank goodness for us that she did. Working from her beautiful studio in Artarmon, Sydney, Jo makes by hand everything from bespoke wedding and personalised stationary to large scale paper installations for corporate and private clients. Jo is another artist with a very loyal fan base and there is nothing she cannot do with a piece of paper. Jo's paper creations have a gentle nostalgia to them; they have soul and somehow seem to capture our most treasured memories.