FK chats to two talented sisters Kylie & Lisa, of fabulous accessories label Dear Mabel Handmade.  Come along to the next Melbourne Markets to see these neon to natural beauties in person!

Tell us a bit about Dear Mabel Handmade and what products we can expect to discover?
Dear Mabel Handmade designs and creates accessories using clay and wood, including necklaces, earrings, rings, bangles and bracelets.  We are now also venturing into clay artwork – watch this space …

What are your backgrounds and how did you start working together?
We are two sisters, Kylie is an Interior Designer and Lisa works in homewares.  We are daughters of a mother who attends a craft group every Wednesday rain, hail or shine.  So I guess you could say it’s in our blood.
We started experimenting with clay 2 years ago when Kylie was pregnant with her last child, Mabel.  We started off small, very small by selling to friends who encouraged us to try the markets.  We were so afraid to put our products out there that our first market was in a tiny South Australian country town.  We were blown away by the response and haven’t looked back.

How has your creative style developed over time and what inspires your work?
From what started as making a necklace to go with an outfit, it’s now more about experimenting and creating different and unique pieces with a lot of colour.  Our inspiration comes from the amazing response we have had to our products and creating unique pieces to grow the range.

What is your workspace like and what is your creative process?
Our workspaces are spread over two houses.  Luckily, we live in the same street.  We wonder what our neighbours must think when we’re walking down the street with a washing basket full of newly made accessories.  Our dream is to work from one workspace, but it’s a little way off at the moment.

What do you love about working with clay and wood?  What are some of the challenges?
We love working with clay as each piece created has it’s own unique look.  We have some good working days and some bad.  There are days we have to tell each other to walk away from the clay.

What can we expect to see from Dear Mabel at the upcoming Melbourne Markets?
Expect colour – from pastels, neutrals to neon’s and a mixture of both.  We hope to bring something a little different than you have seen anywhere else.

www.facebook.com/DearMabelHandmade